The Dream to End all Nightmares
by Vira9494
Summary: K-B&K. Rated for language, violence, and lemon. R&R! [Completed!] In the eve of the night, Kenshin just can't resist the allure of Kaoru. Within one loving moment, will a strong relationship begin to form?
1. Default Chapter

*sigh* Hello everyone. This is my *second* attempt at this fic…grrr…stupid bakas deleted my story…anyways, I guess what this means is that I can't do any lemon stories in here *cries*. But I know you still wanna find out what happens, so I have rewritten this to an edited version. *shakes fist at ff.net* YA HEAR!?!?! _EDITTED!!!___

….Gomen. *bows* ^^ Anyways, to read the *un*edited *twitch* version of this story, simply go to my homepage. Meanwhile, this is still rated R for strong language, violence, and adult situations. NO LEMONESS INVOLVED!!! Do NOT delete this!!!

…As you can see, dear readers, I am very upset over the deletion. But no matter. I present to you the first chapter of this story. Enjoy! ^__^

~~~***~~~

In the stillness of the room, Kaoru sat up from her sleep, panting hard, very awake. It was always the same—and she really had no idea what it could mean. Glancing around, she sighed. She collapsed back down, closed her eyes, and thought about the nightmare entering her dreams for the last week…the nightmare about Kenshin…

_It was always nighttime. She would be chopping something for dinner, and then happen to peer out the window. Kenshin would always be standing there, motionless, his back to her. Kaoru called to him, and he always was unresponsive. He would just……stand there. Finally Kaoru would walk outside to question him. The closer she walked to him, the more he turned to look at her. In this nightmare she would always almost reach Kenshin. He looked at her with some sort of emotion Kaoru was not familiar with, and started to say something to her. Suddenly, faceless assassins would dart out of the earth, seemingly, and lunge at him. Kenshin would always pull out his reversed blade sword and raise it. Then, for some inexplicable reason he always looked at her right then, with the same unknown emotion in his eyes. Puzzled, Kaoru mouthed 'why?' while watching him lower his sword, leaving him vulnerable. The assassins saw this and quickly rammed their weapons into him. Kenshin's eyes grew wide and a look of severe pain came upon his face, his eyes flickering amber. It would always be for a split second, because Kaoru woke up at this point every single time._

"Why do I always dream of that each night? Could this mean……something will happen to him…? What is it trying to say?" Sighing, she moved back against the blankets. Kenshin is the strongest fighter to ever live, she thought. Nothing could harm him. Reassuring herself, sleep washed over her again.

~~~***~~~

Kenshin moved silently across the hallway. Quietly he opened the door into Kaoru's room a crack and looked inside. He saw her sleeping peacefully. Opening the door a little wider, he stepped inside. She looked so gentle, so……angelic, almost. 'Miss Kaoru would give me a hard whack on the head if she saw me doing this, that she would.' He thought nervously. But he couldn't resist. Kenshin reached down and took a strand of her hair. Crouching down, he stroked her strands gently, completely reassuring himself that she was okay. 

Unknown to Kaoru, lately Kenshin had a very uneasy feeling for the past few days in his gut. Something was going to happen, and he knew that he would need to fight. And somehow………something inside had told him she would be involved. A kidnap? Or maybe an innocent bystander in an upcoming battle?

He forced himself not to think about it anymore. Kaoru was the strongest-willed woman he knew. She could take care of herself. Looking down at her sleeping form, he laid his hand on hers slightly. Nothing would ever happen to her, not if he was careful. 'But what does it mean? Is something going to happen?' At that moment she stirred, and Kenshin left the room as swiftly as lightning while she awoke, wondering what it was she had just felt on her hand a moment ago.

~~~***~~~

Later that day…

Kaoru held her broom tightly, pausing to watch the happy rurouni play with the young Suzume in the yard. At the moment he was carrying her on his shoulders and racing across the area, with her giggling every step.

"Suzume, Uncle Kenshin needs a little rest, that he does."

"Waa!! Faster Uncle Kenshin! Whee!!"

Sighing, he complied for a few more minutes, and then set her down. She dazingly walked to her ball and started bouncing it up and down. Kaoru chuckled a little. He walked over to her and laid down on the grass.

"C'mon, Kenshin. Let's go."

He sat up. "Doko? Do you want me to do something, Miss Kaoru?"

"Yes." She handed him a bucket. "Go and get some water, please?"

"Hai!" He nodded and reached for the handle. For a split instant they looked at each other's eyes, and something passed through them. Kenshin grasped the handle and by doing so accidentally touched a little of Kaoru's hand. Both shrunk their hands immediately back from the touch and quickly turned away. After complete silence for a few seconds, Kenshin nodded slowly to her and walked down to retrieve the water. Kaoru stood motionless for a minute or two then started sweeping again.

'That look he gave me…what was in his eyes? There was something in there, I'm sure of it." She thought about her nightmare again. "If that would ever happen to him, I don't know what I'd do…such a gentle man he is. And I can't help but feel that if, maybe, under different circumstances perhaps he and I…well…" She continued sweeping and stared at the ground. "At any rate I won't allow anything to happen to him."

"Happen to who, Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin asked, approaching her with a full bucket of water. Kaoru flustered slightly and looked him over for a brief moment. Although compared to most of his opponents Kenshin was scrawny, she knew that he held his own. She looked at his arm, which held the bucket, and the bulge of his muscle from the weight. A slight gust of wind came up, and she could see his red hair gently swaying along. Her eyes trailed down to-

"Miss…Kaoru?" He looked at her.

Her eyes fell to the broom once more and began sweeping quickly.

"Miss Kaoru, what do you want me to do with this water you asked me to bring?" He was still standing there.

Her mind raced. She didn't actually need the water for anything at the moment now that she thought about it. "Oh, um, put the bucket by the clothes that need washing."

"You did that this morning, that you did. Don't you remember?"

She continued to stare at the broom, hoping he wouldn't see that her face was the same color as his hair. 'Come on, _think Kaoru!'_ "Oh—yes, that's right. Well then…I guess you can bring it over in the kitchen and set it to a boil for me, I'll be making dinner soon, so…"

"Oro? But Miss Kaoru, you don't normally start dinner in the middle of the afternoon, that you don't…"

She was becoming irritated. "I know, I know! But please, just do this for me, okay?" Her sweeping pace quickened and she turned her back to him. Puzzled, Kenshin nodded and went into the kitchen to complete the task given to him.

When he was done he came around one side of the dojo and watched Kaoru from afar. His uneasy feeling rushed back to him, but he pushed it away to the back of his mind, where it usually laid. He watched her as she sat down for a moment and laid her head back. Her fragile body relaxed, and Kenshin smiled. Her hair half covered her face with the wind blowing gently down. Her chest fell up and down from breathing. She looked so peaceful that Kenshin didn't want to tell her the water was probably boiled by now.

~~~***~~~

Kaoru stood up from her small break and went into the kitchen. There she found Sano and Yahiko, arguing about petty stuff as usual. Sighing heavily, she went to prepare for supper.

"Look Sano, I agreed to you that if I cleaned up the dojo you would go get the groceries. I did my part!"

"Not true, kiddo." Sano pointed to a nearby corner. "That spot over there doesn't look clean to me."

"WHADDAYA MEAN!??!"

"IT'S GOT COBWEBS ALL OVER!!!"

"DOES _NOT!!!!_

"I think you should stop fighting, that I do." Kenshin entered the room and the two fell silent, glaring daggers at each other.

"Dinner!" A familiar voice called from somewhere.

"Dinner!" All three shouted happily, and they raced each other to the room.

~~~***~~~

Later, in the evening…

Sano and Yahiko had already gone to bed, tired from arguing so much. Kenshin helped Kaoru clean up dinner, and now it was about time that both of them went to bed, too.

"Miss Kaoru, would you like me to finish washing these dishes so you can go to bed now?"

"Hm, no that's alright, I'll finish these up too. Besides, I…" She stopped herself.

Kenshin looked at her from the corner of his eye, waiting for her to finish.

"Er, I………don't want to go to bed. Not right now anyways."

"Oro? Why not? It's been a long day for you."

"Yes, well…" She paused, considering. Kenshin waited patiently. "For the past week or so, I've been having a nightmare each time I go to sleep."

Kenshin froze. 'Does it have something to do with…?' "What kind of nightmare, Miss Kaoru?"

She stood silent for a moment. "Never mind, Kenshin. I'll go to bed after all. The nightmare isn't as bad now because I've seen it so many times." She said flatly. Kaoru made a move to turn away and leave, but a gentle yet strong hand grasped her arm. She looked at him.

"Onegai? Please tell me?" He asked again. She looked at him in surprise. Why would he care so much about some stupid nightmare?

"Well…let's just say that I hope it never, ever comes true." Alarms set off in his mind. She turned to leave, and he let her go.

~~~***~~~

Kaoru finished getting ready, then laid down. She didn't want to go to sleep. However, her mind faded away, and eventually she drifted into slumber.

_The dream was…different for some reason. What was going on? Instead of outside the dojo, they were in a street somewhere, running from something. The street never ended—she could always see the way to the dojo but they never reached it. Something chased them—someone? Multiple footsteps could be heard. Kenshin looked behind them and quickened his pace. Kaoru did the same but saw nothing, only hearing footsteps. Was there 10?—No, more like 15. Eventually she fell down. The echoing footsteps fell upon her. Kenshin turned to her and raised his sword like he did in the other dream, ready to attack, but then gave her the same look as before and lowered it. The footsteps darted onto him. He fell forward, cuts upon him from nowhere._

She sat up, screaming "Kenshin!!"

~~~***~~~

Earlier…

Kenshin finished the dishes and wandered through the dojo, thinking. Why was he so uneasy tonight? An attack was coming? Perhaps, or maybe not. The sky was clear outside. He took a deep breath and was about to head into his room for the night, when he heard something from inside the dojo—a familiar voice had cried out his name. Realizing who it was, he was gone in a blur.

Peering into her room, he saw Kaoru sitting up, obviously not sleeping. She immediately noticed him walking in. Kenshin crouched down next to her.

"K-Kenshin, I………you…"

"Are you alright, Miss Kaoru?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"You don't normally call out to me in the middle of the night, that you don't."

She blushed. Did HE hear her say something? Turning her side to him, she said, "My dream…it was different this time…" She shook her head, puzzled. Why was she telling this to him? She didn't exactly owe him a detailed explanation…

"Oro?"

Kaoru smiled, hoping he would accept it. "It's okay, I'm fine now."

Kenshin nodded, and the two sat in silence for a few seconds. Then Kaoru got up, saying, "Kenshin, would you like to go for a walk with me? I'm not really tired right now and I don't want to go to sleep."

"I wouldn't mind doing that, Miss Kaoru. But you're sure you aren't tired at all?"

'Heh, always the worry-wart…' "Believe me, I'm not. Well then…yokatta desu! Let's go." She walked out and he followed.

Well that's all for this first chapter. REVIEW PLEASE!! ^^ My policy is that I never put up a new chapter unless I see that I have enough reviews. And I promise, the next chapter WILL have more…interesting stuff! ^_^ Aww, aren't they just adorable together?

Hope you liked reading this so far! Review, and bye for now!


	2. The Walk

I'm BAAAACCKKK!! Yep, you guys didn't think I disappeared, did you!? ^___^ Okay, here it is! Before we began, a few things:

1) This story did not receive the number of reviews I was shooting for, however, this part was already put on here, then deleted, so I guess I won't mind for now! ^^

2) If any of you reviewers are confused about anything at all, don't hesitate to ask, I'll try to clear up any confusion. Although…^_^ the following chapter is pretty straight forward, if you'll see what I mean, hehehe.

3) The chapter below has been censored (for lemon stuff) to see the full version, simply visit my website!

4) Finally, I do not own any part of Rurouni Kenshin ('cause then I'd probably be really rich…). So please don't sue!

Readers: …Get ON with it _already!! _*throws fruit*

Me: *sweatdrop* Right! *clears throat* And now, I present to you, the second chapter!:

~~~***~~~

They went outside the dojo quietly and began their walk in the night. Kaoru thought to herself. She would have gone on a walk if Kenshin had declined anyways, but having him there let her relax, and besides, she knew he wouldn't let her walk out at night alone. The night was cool with a slight gust of wind now and then. The sky was clear, with a full moon.

"This is a nice night, Kenshin."

Kenshin nodded. "Peaceful…"

"Yes." She smiled a little. They passed a few houses and took the path that went into the woods, and further on, the valley. Kaoru remembered playing all along this area as a child, the main game being hide-and-go-seek, one of her favorites. She looked at Kenshin. Did he play any games as a child? At one time...maybe. After a few more moments of walking, she cried with joy and pointed. "Look Kenshin, there's the spring! Let's go sit over there! They say if the full moon is directly over the water like it is tonight, it'll sparkle like the stars."

Before Kenshin could say anything in affirmation or otherwise, Kaoru ran forward. 'Almost like Suzume when playing.' He noticed, and smiled, following her.

Kaoru reached the spring and looked down. What she heard couldn't have been truer—the water sparkled like it was full of diamonds. Thankfully the night was cloudless so the moon reflected against the water beautifully. Up above the water was some grass where they could sit down, look down below to the spring, and talk. Maybe she would even tell him about her nightmare that changed suddenly.

Her nightmare…about Kenshin…

Giving a little cry, she had a sudden realization of the situation she was in. Soon Kenshin would be here, and they would sit and talk on this spot where (she admitted slowly) a romantic (sexual?) tension filled the air. The full moon was proof enough, and with sparkling water below, even. What did this mean…? Did she think of Kenshin in 'that way?' Of course she did, _that _was certainly clear in her mind, and Kaoru no longer denied it. This would be a better time than any to say so to him. But did he feel the same way…? She wasn't sure. 'His Rurouni mask makes it hard to tell sometimes. Well, then I will just have to find out tonight, since it's the best chance I'll ever get.' Kaoru quickly devised a plan.

When Kenshin approached the spring, he found her lying on the grass with her hands under her head, looking at the moon. The spring was just like she said it would be—beautiful to look at. However, while his mind was on the spring, his eye found something even more beautiful to see. Scolding himself silently, Kenshin tore his glance from Kaoru, looked up at the moon once more, and walked over to her. 

She smiled and gestured for him to join her on the ground. He complied, saying, "The spring looks just like you said it would, Miss Kaoru."

"Yes, I think it was worth staying up a little late to see the spring on a night like this. It's very…pretty."

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She stared off into space; her facing showing that she was deep in thought.

"Is there something on your mind, Miss Kaoru?"

Did he see a blushing color on her cheeks? Looking at him for a second, she slowly replied, "I just………well, around here, it's not……peaceful much, like it is now…a lot of violence comes through here, as you know…I just wish all days could be like this night." She paused for a few moments, then asked, "Do you know what I mean, Kenshin?"

Something wet came in his eye, and he nodded. Ever since he started his training to fight back at opponents he rarely had peaceful days. Violence and trouble seemed to follow him. However, looking at the moon again, he saw how Kaoru had given him a break from it all tonight, if only for a little while. He was very grateful for that. 'What a wonderful woman, Miss Kaoru is…' Looking at Kaoru, he saw that the moonlight fell upon her just right, and her creamy skin glowed. Her hair, meanwhile, matched the dark sky up above. She almost looked like a different person, her inner self shining within the calmness of the night. 'I will never let anything happen to her. I will always watch over her…' "Sometimes I wish I never gained the ability to fight." Kenshin said. "But then, I remember why I use that ability in the first place-"

"-For maintaining peace?"

He nodded. "But it's not easy some days…"

Suddenly, Kaoru stood up. Turning to him, she said, "Kenshin, I want to stay out here just a little longer. Would you mind watching the path behind us?"

He looked at her. "Oro? Why?"

"Because…" she loosened her kimono a little. "I think I want to swim in the spring for a little bit before we go back. It looks so nice." She gestured towards it. Kenshin couldn't resist staring (indiscreetly I might add) at the part of her flesh that was exposed from the slightly loosened kimono. Kaoru saw his blushing and smiled devilishly. He nodded and turned around to look at the path, leaning against a tree.

Kaoru stripped down completely and placed her clothes in a neat pile on a rock nearby, then slowly walked into the water. Kenshin could hear her small splashes and waited politely, never turning his head. Kaoru pouted at this, who was watching him carefully. She decided her plan needed to be a bit more drastic. So, she took a deep breath and sunk down sleekly, swimming around underwater slowly. She had swum in water many times and was very good at holding her breath.

Kenshin noticed almost immediately that there were no more of the splashes Kaoru made. So, thinking she was done, he turned his head slowly around, but to his surprise saw no one. Walking to the spring, he saw her clothes on the rock, and reached the conclusion that she was still in the water. 'Surely,' he thought, 'Miss Kaoru wasn't drowning in a small spring like this?' His only other explanation was that there was some sort of rock that she had not seen in the water and hit her on the head.

Fearing the worst, he took off his sandals and jumped in the water with his clothes still on, calling her name. Some skill from his training, however, allowed him to notice someone was swimming around in the water still. 'She's holding her breath.' He thought. Did she _want _him to come in here? Kenshin reached for the figure in the water and pulled her up.

'Good.' Kaoru thought. More or less, her plan worked. 'And besides, I was almost out of breath.'

Kenshin immediately noticed how soft her skin was. He had felt it once back at the dojo with the bucket, but this was for a much longer amount of time. Kaoru, meanwhile, noticed how he urgently yet gently pulled her up from the water, careful about everything. She smiled as her face surfaced.

Kenshin stared at her beautiful creamy skin and flowing hair as he pulled her to the top of the water. He felt something uncomfortable all of a sudden, and, upon looking down at the small tent he made, blushed slightly. What _was _this woman trying to do to him!?

Kaoru purred in his arms and followed his eyes. Upon seeing it, she gasped, and Kenshin's blush grew. Smiling, she said simply "Arigato." He looked at her wonderingly, and began to comprehend what she wanted to do. Dazed, he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips, hoping all the while she wouldn't object.

She didn't. In fact, Kaoru moved closer to him and placed her arms around his neck, encouraging him. After a moment, she opened her mouth, inviting him in. Kenshin accepted, and crept his tongue along her soft lips, then her teeth, and finally pushed her own tongue back gently with his. His hands traced the outline of her body, then rested them on her hips.

A/N: This part of the story is censored. Please visit my website to see the full version.

Kenshin put on his rurouni mask, and carried her back to shore. She protested, but few moments later, Kaoru closed her eyes from a heavy wave of sleep. Kenshin smiled, hoping she was dreaming a nice dream, and gathered her clothes. Although his was still wet he wore them anyways, then took Kaoru in his arms like a parent would with a child and wrapped the top part of his clothes that weren't wet around her as well. He carried her back to the dojo, where he laid her on the futon in her room. Looking at Kaoru and her innocent sleeping-look one last time very lovingly, he turned to go to his own room for the night, thinking in remembrance of what had happened at the spring, saying to her before he left, "Arigato."

Well, that's all for this chapter. Review!!! Hope you all liked it, and I am most definitely NOT done. I don't know when I'll get the next chapter in though. My 'policy' is still in effect, so if you want to see more, REVIEW!!! ^_______^ Luff you all!


	3. The Day After

Hello again! Well most of you should be happy to know that I have the third chappy ready for you to read. A few author notes before we begin though:

1) To get the disclaimer over with, no, I don't own any part of Rurouni Kenshin.

2) Dreamer: Errr…I dunno, I mean, I thought this was a lil' obvious, but, *shrug* when I say go to my homepage, I mean click on my user name, and in my profile you will find the link to my website. Gomen! Sorry for any confusion! ^_^'

3) To all females reading this: Okay, who here wishes we all could have a guy like Kenshin? Show of hands! ^____^ *raises own*

And now, to the actual chapter…hope you like!

~~~***~~~

Kaoru woke up the next morning to the sun shining in her room. 'Strange. I dreamed my greatest fantasy and then I had a horrible nightmare. I wonder why…?' Peering down at herself, she gave a small gasp to see that she was naked, with the clothes she put on to bed in a neat pile to the side. 'My dream…what was my dream? I dreamed about…Kenshin………and that…we…'

Of course. It wasn't a dream at all—_it had really happened. _And……and what _did _happen anyways? Her mind was fuzzy from sleepiness—but what she knew for a fact, was that Kenshin's emotional love for her still lingered in the air. She could feel it. 'I can't believe…we actually did that! _Us! _Kenshin and I! We finally had the courage to reveal our true feelings!' She smiled.

And then…she frowned. What had happened? It was as though she went from her dream to her nightmare. She winced in remembrance.

_This time, they were in a boat somewhere. Did she recognize the boat? Maybe, from one of Kenshin's past battles. Instead of the enemies being shadows and footsteps they were black-clothed figures with their faces covered in dark cloth. Kaoru was up against the side of the wall, and Kenshin was staring the enemy down, sword in hand. Suddenly, he turned to face her with that emotion he would always have (she had since then figured out that the emotion was love from the way he similarly looked at her back at the spring) and then had lowered his sword. She cried out to him, but the attackers were on Kenshin in an instant, cutting his skin deeply. He fell forward, amber specks in his eyes, and the nightmare ended. _

'Why do I keep dreaming these things? I just wish whatever it's trying to tell me would happen and it could be done with…unless, of course, the part about Kenshin will happen as well.' Sighing, Kaoru got up to get ready. She would put on her very best clothes for Kenshin today.

~~~***~~~

Kenshin also woke up at about the same time as Kaoru. If he dreamed, he didn't remember it. Kenshin thought only of what happened last night in his sleep. It was never intentional, but little by little it happened anyway. And he liked it. A lot.

But…what would they say to each other today? Would everything return to normal? If not, who would be the first to speak? 'At the spring last night,' Kenshin thought, 'we didn't need to tell each other anything—our expressions were enough, that they were.' Perhaps it would work the same way again. He would test his theory today. Standing up, he went to get ready.

~~~***~~~

It was when they were walking down the hallway leading to breakfast, both dressed and ready for the day, that they saw each other. Blushing slightly, neither knew what to do—walk forward, say something, or just bolt back into the room they came from and lock the door. Kaoru smiled a little at the utter ridiculousness of being so shy in front of the man she was so open to last night, and Kenshin meanwhile changed his expression to love, hoping she would get the message. They looked into each other's eyes, and time sort of stopped. Before they knew what was happening they both ran to each other and hugged as close as possible, in a lover's embrace.

"I had a wonderful dream last night, Miss Kaoru…you were in it."

"You were in mine, too. The moon…was full…I remember well…what a lovely dream it was…"

"So desu."

They broke apart. "Well, I suppose we should go have breakfast, Kenshin?"

He nodded, and they went to go eat. Sitting across from each other, the two would often look at each other suggestively. Sano noticed this almost immediately and formed his own hypothesis to what was going on. Yahiko, meanwhile, noticed nothing, and just focused on getting his fair share of food while wrestling it away from Sano and Kenshin. Sano eyed the unofficial couple as they kept passing food to each other without eating it and saw them stealing glances at each other with some unknown emotion. When everyone finished eating, they all went their separate ways to begin the chores that needed completing for the day.

~~~***~~~

Later, in the afternoon…

Yahiko wandered around the dojo, looking for Kaoru. She was washing some clothes with Kenshin and hanging them up. Confidently he approached the two.

"I finished all of my chores for the day!" He puffed out his chest. "Can I go relax now?"

"Not so fast, Yahiko." Kaoru stood up. "Now you can come with me to pick up a few things at the market."

He groaned. "But………but…it took me soooo long-"

"Kenshin, can you finish these clothes?" she asked. Kenshin nodded, smiling. "Good. Let's go, Yahiko."

Yahiko looked at Kenshin like he had just betrayed him somehow, then sulked after Kaoru. Kenshin smiled as he watched them go. Suddenly, looking at Kaoru before she disappeared from sight, he suddenly had one of his uneasy feelings again. Why was he having them so much lately? Shrugging, Kenshin continued washing the clothes and hanging them up. The one he was holding now, he realized, was Kaoru's kimono she had worn on their walk from last night. He smiled in remembrance.

~~~***~~~

Sano was finally done with his training. He never really did much for chores—Kaoru knew he didn't anyways. But today he was feeling exceptionally helpful, plus Sano wanted to talk to Kenshin. Seeing him hang up some clothes, he offered his hand.

"I'd love you to help, Sano. You rarely do!"

"Psh. Yeah, yeah." He sat down next to the rurouni and started hanging them up. Kenshin needed to show him the proper way of hanging clothes up three times after he turned a shirt inside out, upside down, and folded it the wrong way. Laughing, Kenshin shook his head. Sano saw this opportunity.

"So Kenshin…where were you last night?"

He had received the reaction he was hoping for. Kenshin stopped what he was doing and his eyes grew wide in understanding. That lasted only for a moment though, because he quickly put on his rurouni mask.

'He caught me off guard.' "What do you mean, Sano?"

He smirked. "Exactly that. Where were you last night?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I went to sleep just like any other night."

 But Sano's mind was _much_ too full of suspicion. "Oh…really? Because, when I was getting ready to go to sleep, I didn't hear you doing the same. The house was too quiet—all I could hear was Yahiko's snoring." He had made that entire story up, but wondered if it wasn't far from the truth.

"Well…before I went to bed, Miss Kaoru…"

Ah _HA._

"-Felt like going on a walk for a short time, and wanted me to accompany her."

"Well then, what time did you get back? The house was awfully quiet for a long time……longer than a 'short walk,' Kenshin."

But the rurouni stood up, wearing his mask hiding all emotion. "We are done with these clothes, Sano. I thank you for your help. If you need me I will be training." Kenshin walked away calmly.

"_Darn_ him…_something _happened…I just need to figure out _what_…" Sano sat on the grass, pondering what he might have discovered.

~~~***~~~

The two reached the market. Kaoru explained the plan to Yahiko.

"Yahiko, go get the usual amount of rice we buy. I'll look for some decent fish available, over there." She pointed to a fish stand in the corner. Yahiko nodded, clearly irritated about the whole thing, then walked over to the place that sold rice, grumbling under his breath.

Kaoru sighed, then walked over to the fish stand. While looking over the selection hanging up, she heard a fight break out behind her. Turning around, she saw a pretty looking woman in her twenties being pushed around by a group of three massive men.

"Hey there beautiful. Why don't you come with us for…a 'fun time'?" They smirked and pushed her down an alley.

The woman gave a cry of fear, but one covered her mouth with his hand and shoved her forward. Kaoru instantly became infuriated after seeing this and walked to the alleyway. There she saw the men surrounding the woman, with her slowly backing into a corner.

"Hey!" She shouted. "Why don't you pick on someone who can fight back, you bastards!!" The three whirled around, then grinned from ear to ear looking at her.

"Is she for real?"

"Another woman to bring back to the boss, even better!"

"Heh, she can't _possibly _beat us with no weapon! Get her!" They lunged at her.

Kaoru easily dodged their attack, and looked around. Nearby was a stack of wood—one of the pieces happened to take shape of a decent pole. Grabbing it, she smiled, and gave them all a quick lesson with her new toy.

Falling to the ground, the men glared at her with a mixture of horror and anger. Scrambling to their feet, they swore under their breath.

"J…just you wait! We'll be watching you, woman!" And with that, they ran away.

Rolling her eyes, Kaoru turned to look at the woman she saved, who exchanged her 'eternal thanks.' When she left, Yahiko approached her, done getting the rice. "I just saw three big guys with lots of bruises run out of this alley." He looked at her with suspicion. "Did you do that…?"

Kaoru smiled innocently. "Do you have the rice?"

"Yes, and you have no fish, I see."

"I suddenly remembered that we already have some dried fish at home already. Well, I guess we can go." She turned to walk away. Yahiko looked at her suspiciously, but said nothing.

~~~***~~~

The two returned. Kenshin instantly saw that something had happened when he looked at Kaoru. He pulled her to the side and inquired about it, his eyes giving a slight hint of amber.

"Tell me what happened."

She did not question how he knew. "I will, I promise. Later…"

He nodded, accepting it for now. Dinner came and went, and night fell upon the dojo again. Kaoru finished any chores left and went into her room to prepare for bed. Suddenly, she noticed a presence in the room. Looking to a corner, she saw Kenshin smiling mischievously, leaning against the wall.

"Kenshin!"

"You still need to tell me what happened today, Miss Kaoru, that you do." He looked at her.

"Oh." She motioned for him to sit down on the futon with her. Kenshin obliged eagerly (too eagerly?), and then she told him what happened in the afternoon at the market place. " I _sure _taught them a lesson! I don't think they'll be back to challenge me again!" She smiled brightly.

But Kenshin was worried. "How do you know that, Miss Kaoru?"

"I don't. But I beat them in three hits—one for each."

"That's impressive."

"I'm _not_ afraid."

Before she knew what was happening, Kenshin moved around her and was hugging her tightly. "But……………I am."

Yes. It was _so _like him—she should've seen that coming. Returning the hug, she said, "I don't want you to be."

"I wish I wasn't."

"I know. In this day and age, in this era, you _can't _be afraid all the time, otherwise you will never be happy."

Kenshin nodded. "I'm sorry for troubling you like this, that I am."

"I'm not troubled by anything." She snuggled up against his chest.

'But…I think you _are_.' "Then neither am I."

"Well…" She hesitated.

"Nani?"

"My dreams…." She murmured. "What do they mean?"

"Oro?"

"Kenshin…I think…something will happen to you………in battle…"

Oh. "Kaoru, you don't need to worry. As long as I have your confidence, nothing can hurt me."

She sighed, not wanting to disagree, but…still……

They sat that way for several minutes. Eventually, sleep washed over them, and they slowly laid down on the futon, in slumber together.

That's all for this chapter! ^__^ I bet you guys can guess what's gonna happen next! Uh…gomen…sorry if it was a lil' mushy at the end. ^^ And I'm nowhere near being done. Btw, if any of you guys are confused with something, it might be a good idea to wait for the rest of my chapters and whatever you're confused about will be explained. ^____^ REVIEW PLEASEEEE!!!! Thankee!


	4. The Capture

Hi everyone! ^_^ I have the 4th chappy for this fic, which I will now give to you. As usual:

1. This chapter has been edited slightly for lemoness, blah blah, go visit my site for the full version, blah…

2. Sadly, I _still _don't own any part of Rurouni Kenshin…*cries softly in the background*

3. The beginning of this chappy is edited and stuff…you guys know what to do…

4. I. Need. Sleep. ^___^

And now, the next chapter to this story!

~~~***~~~

As time passed, Kaoru drifted into a deep slumber with her rurouni sleeping peacefully next to her. A picture came into focus, and she knew she was dreaming…

_This was the clearest nightmare yet. Kaoru was tied up against something with the men she beat up this afternoon looking at her smugly. Suddenly, they whirled around and shouted jumbled words at a door across the room. Swift as lightning, Kenshin appeared from it. He shouted to the men and had a rough conversation that Kaoru couldn't understand. They surrounded her and shouted something. Kenshin raised his sword. Before he could attack however, one of the men reached behind Kaoru and poked her with something on the head. A weapon? He looked at whatever it was with terror and then gazed at her with love, lowering his sword. Silence filled the room as weapons came out, cutting him. Kenshin fell down, blood stained on his clothes, amber specks flashing in his eyes. Kaoru cried out, and the nightmare ended._

She woke up, sitting straight up on the futon. After panting for a few seconds, she slowly looked over to see Kenshin's peaceful sleeping form next to her. Kaoru sighed with relief.

'He's alright…………Kenshin's right here, no cuts……no blood………it was just an awful nightmare.' Kaoru looked over to her window. The sun could be seen, creeping its rays into the room.

'It's morning already.' Her gaze turned back to Kenshin. 'Ohhh…he looks so cute like that…" She giggled to herself. Sweeping over him, she gave his neck a gentle kiss and brushed his hair back. His eyes opened briefly, staring back at her with love.

"Kaoru…"

"Kenshin." She smiled and let the wonderful man sleep.

~~~***~~~

They lay there for an hour, with Kaoru resting against Kenshin, who was sleeping peacefully. Suddenly, she sat up. There were fast footsteps approaching her room. The door burst open, and Yahiko stomped in.

"Get up, ugly! You've slept in long enough!"

Kaoru stared at him in horror for a split second then slowly turned to look back down at her futon.

Kenshin was gone.

~~~***~~~

The training and chores for the day went by quickly, especially because Kenshin and Kaoru finished them faster than normal, anxious to get a moment to themselves. And they almost had that moment, in fact, if not for Yahiko's repeated interruptions. He approached them as they stood by the gate.

"Hey! Kaoru! Heeeey!!!"

'That BRAT…' "Ugh, _what_ do you _want_, Yahiko?"

"You liar! You said yesterday we had some dried fish left here--Sano and I checked, and we're all out! What're we going to have for supper today!?"

She sighed heavily. "Well, I guess that just means one of us will have to go get some…"

Sano saw the group and walked to them. "What's all the fuss about?" He asked in a carefree attitude.

"Well, I guess I need to make a trip to the market…_again_…" Kaoru said in a frustrated voice.

"I'll go too." Both men said it at the exact same time. Kenshin's eyes had a spark of amber for an instant, then quickly vanished. Sano eyed Kenshin suspiciously.

_'_This just might be a good opportunity for me to interrogate Kaoru on what's been going on, especially since Kenshin won't tell me…I can't pass up a chance like this…'

Kenshin read Sano's thoughts somewhat. 'If I insist on going, his suspicion will only rise…' "Mattaku mo? It's no problem if you want to go, that it isn't."

"Okay Kenshin. C'mon Kaoru! Let's stop wasting time!" Sano started down the path.

Yahiko raced back to the dojo. Kaoru lingered for a few seconds, giving Kenshin a quick hug whenno one was looking, then departed. Kenshin headed back inside after a moment, replenished by Kaoru's brief embrace, and went to go train some more.

~~~***~~~

Sano occasionally glanced at Kaoru while they walked down the path to the market. 'Dammit, I'm going to drag it out of _one_ of them if it's the last thing I do! The way they looked at each other this morning when everyone got up, you'd think…' His train of thought stopped, pondering. Finally he cleared his throat.

"You know," He said to Kaoru. "You _sure _got up late for breakfast this morning."

Kaoru said nothing, only smiled.

"It's odd, because I went outside to get some more wood for the day this morning, and I could've _sworn _I saw someone jump out of the window to your room." He looked at her.

She smiled a little wider. "You must have been seeing things."

He made a grunt to show he disbelieved her answer.

"I just………slept in late. That's all." 

'If Kaoru had a rurouni mask like Kenshin, she'd be wearing it right now.' Sano thought. 

"I was tired. Long day yesterday." She stated calmly.

"Hm." He sighed. 'I'm getting _nowhere _at this rate…'

They reached the market, after a few moments from walking in silence the rest of the way.

Kaoru noticed the same gang of men she fought with earlier, standing by the fish stand. She turned, hoping to avoid their eye.

"Sano, can you get the fish for me? I'll be standing over here…"

He became very disgruntled at the thought of this. "_What!?!? _Why can't YOU get them!?" But his protests were to no avail. She shoved him that way and moved in another direction. Grumbling, he went to the stand and asked for the fish needed. While there, he overheard part of the conversation the men were speaking.

"See? She's over there."

"Hmm? Oh—yeah, that's her alright. The boss will be happy to know we caught sight of her today."

Sano's ears pricked up.

"Should we go through the plan, then?"

"Yeah. The boss wants to……'talk' with her, in person."

"Right. Orders are orders." He punched his fist into his hand. "And we still have a score to settle with her from yesterday."

"Just remember, the boss told us not to hurt her."

"I'll………try to remember that…little detail." They laughed boisterously and walked away. One of them waved his hand to three more groups of men, and together they went through the crowd.

"Sorry Sano, but we can't put it on your tab this time." The man appeared again with the fish needed. Sano nodded, paid (to the man's delight), and started to follow the dozen or so men.

Kaoru, meanwhile, noticed almost immediately the group of men, among them the three she beat up the previous day, headed straight towards her. Suddenly very afraid, she slowly backed down the corner she stood and sprinted through the crowd. 'I can't _possibly _fight them ALL…and just where the hell is Sano?' Looking behind her, Kaoru saw the men weaving their way towards her at a very quick pace. Fearful, she turned down into a nearby alley and searched for a weapon. She found nothing, so she quickly hid behind a large basket and prayed they wouldn't find her, or, at least, that Sano would do something. However, the men saw her turn down the alley and followed. One of them spotted her behind the basket, and they grabbed her up. She screamed.

Sano heard her and tried to reach them in time. However, upon rounding a corner, two of them hit Sano on the head, knocking him down. The last thing he saw was Kaoru, crying and screaming, carried on the shoulder by the largest of the group. Snickering at Sano, they made their getaway, with him lying on the street.

Poor Kaoru! *sniffle* R&R!! I _know _you guys wanna find out what happens, but you gotta review for it! ^_^ Pwease!?!?!? Well, I'm off! Buh bye!! ^_____^


	5. The Rescue

Hi everyone!!! ^_____^ I think you guys are the best reviewers on Earth. No, really! Luff you guys!!! Anyways, I'll start out with the usual:

1) I don't own any of Rurouni Kenshin. DON'T SUE!!!!!

2) The following chapter erm….doesn't have anything edited.

3) This chapter, unlike the others, has a lot of strong language. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!!

Readers: We don't care!!! We just wanna find out what happens to Kaoru!!! *throws fruit*

Me: G-Gomen!!!! Gomengomengomengomen!!! *bows a million times* ^_^'

And now, here it is!

~~~***~~~

Kenshin lowered his reversed blade sword that he had used for training in the last hour. Out of nowhere another one of his bad feelings sprang upon him. This time it went straight to his stomach, and he couldn't concentrate any longer. Limping somewhat, he went outside, filled with dread.

What was going on? Where was everyone?

Yahiko? Somewhere near, perhaps inside the dojo. He was safe.

Sano? Kenshin didn't know why, but he felt Sano's presence not far from here. He was safe as well.

……………………………………Kaoru?

His heart jumped to his throat.

~~~***~~~

Sano had temporarily blacked out in the street for a few minutes. When he came to, the group of men, and Kaoru, were nowhere to be seen. Cursing, he got up. Several people were crowded around him, and one woman asked if he was all right. After replying in the affirmative, Sano wasted no time asking anyone where the band of men went. Nobody really knew—except the general direction, that they went out of the town, and that they ran into the nearby woods, possibly where their hideout was.

Groaning, Sano muttered his thanks and started a sprint back to the dojo.

~~~***~~~

They had thrown her into a dark room. After her eyes adjusted she saw several shadowy figures of the men that had taken her to this place. They were whispering to each other and glancing at her—Kaoru at once became very frightened. Looking closely, she saw the gleam of a weapon hidden under each of their clothes that they wore.

One of the men made a move towards her, but another stopped him, saying "Not until the boss gets here, remember?"

He snorted, and stepped back. "Can't we just-"

"-You know the rules. Wait until he arrives."

He grumbled, but complied. There was an uncomfortable silence. Kaoru stared coldly at the men, and they stared back at her with equal coldness. After a few moments of this, a door opened, and all the men stepped aside. A man approached her, who Kaoru could only assume to be the 'boss' they kept talking about. Standing on both sides of him were two women with an outrageous lack of clothes. Obviously some street prostitutes looking for a big payer. The boss himself wore several rings and very expensive looking clothes.  Kaoru scowled at him. Smirking, he made his made towards her.

"You're the one who hurt m'boys yesterday, aren't you?" He put his hand on her chin and forced her head up to look at him. Immediately her face turned to hatred. She spat on his arm. The men behind saw this and lunged forward, but he waved a hand at them, sneering.

He studied her. "Hmm…feisty. I think she'll do just fine, once we…………'condition' her." A murmur swept through the gang. The boss continued.

"Do you see these clothes, woman? They took a lot of money to buy. We have money, plenty of it. But to acquire the amount of money men like us have, you need to run a nice 'business.' You follow, woman?"

Kaoru tried to shut his pompous voice out of her mind, but the fear of what his point to all this might be stuck in her head.

"And to have a business, you need a product."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"You see these two women standing with me? They were like you…once. They had a home, a family, even. And like you, they were damn good fighters. But now, like the other dozen or so pretty girls that we pick up, they behave quite nicely. It's only a matter of time before we get you to cooperate as well."

Kaoru gasped. These bastards wanted her to become a prostitute so they could collect money off her! 'You can't get much lower than that…disgraceful…'

"I will never succumb to your greedy, selfish wishes!" She was shocked. Her voice sounded stronger and more confident than she felt. What she _did _know, however, was that under no conditions would she agree to what they were suggesting.

The man shrugged. "Unfortunately, now that we have you here, you have no say in the matter." He motioned for the others to come forward. "Tie her." Grinning, they crowded around her and produced ropes. Shoving her up against something, the ropes came around her and bound to her body tightly. Kaoru winced in the slight pain of it. Temporarily defeated, she slumped down.

'……Kenshin……'

~~~***~~~

Kenshin was really worried now. It was two hours since Sano and Kaoru left. Accompanied with Yahiko now, they walked down the path to the market hurriedly.

"Keeeeeennnnnnnshin, I'm sure they're _fine_…" Yahiko said, jogging along. "I am SO _sick _of the market…"

Kenshin opted to ignore his complaints. "Yahiko, there's something wrong. They should have been back much longer than this." His bad feeling increased with every step they took—THAT was proof enough there was trouble amidst somewhere.

After a few minutes they saw ahead of them a tall figure limping down the path. "Sano!!" They rushed to him. He was bruised a bit, but was fine other than that.

"What happened, Sano!? And……where's Miss Kaoru?" His heart fell to his feet, his mind filled with dread.

"Gone." Sano managed to choke out.

Yahiko helped to keep him standing. "Sano, do you need a doctor…?"

"Nope, kiddo. I'm fine." Sano stood up fully. "But I'm glad you guys had the sense to come lookin' for us. They took her…"

He noticed Kenshin's eyes flashed a full amber color for a second, then changed back. He knew what was going through his mind.

"Who took her, Sano?" Yahiko was completely unaware of what just happened.

"I'm not sure. A gang of men, that's all I know. I…I wasn't quick enough…Kenshin…I'm sorry…"

"No apologies, Sano. You did what you could, that you did."

He nodded. "At any rate, I know the general area where they went, so…"

The other two nodded in comprehension. They turned and hurried on swiftly.

A million thoughts raced through Kenshin's head, and he wondered how he let this happen. Kaoru was the treasure he prized most, more than his ability to protect others, or even his reversed blade sword. Kenshin hoped with all his heart she was okay. Why didn't he see this coming!? The warnings were too numerous to count—his bad feelings previously, Kaoru's predicting nightmares, and both of their fears while they laid in bed together the previous night that something like this might happen.

When they……laid in bed together…

Enraged in his blatant stupidity, Kenshin's eyes sparkled with specks of amber and swelled water.

Sano, hurrying to keep up with Kenshin, noticed the reaction he was having to this whole ordeal. Did he see amber in those eyes? Yes. Now he had no doubt in his mind where the relationship between the two stood. Sure, Kenshin would be upset, with or without Kaoru's love. But not like this. The amber in his eyes burned love for Kaoru—not hatred for the men that took her. If this had been a different situation, he would have smiled.

They flew past the town and went into the woods. Sano gestured in the direction he was told they went, insisting he knew nothing beyond that. After searching for several minutes, Yahiko shouted to them upon finding a path leading somewhere. Kenshin moved up it a little too quickly for the other two, but they followed nonetheless. The group of three soon came to a clearing of the trees, and above a mansion stared down at them.

"This must be it."

Immediately several men came out through the doors and started to walk towards them. They were obviously night watchers, guarding the place for any twilight visitors.

"Sano, Yahiko." Kenshin said flatly, with no emotion. "Take care of these gentlemen. I'm going to look for Kaoru." With his bangs hiding his eyes, Kenshin disappeared from sight, running into the mansion with god-like speed so fast the guards didn't see him enter.

If Yahiko and Sano had enough time to think about it, they would have noticed Kenshin did not attach Kaoru's name with anything honorific. The night watchers, however, drew their weapons, and the battle outside had begun.

~~~***~~~

The men were all staring at her funnily, like she had a third eye or something. After the process of tying her down was complete, the boss of them all spoke again.

"Do you know how, woman, we condition women to enjoy the life we force them into? We train them. We train them…in the specific category we want them to work in. In your case…" He looked back at her and grinned. "…Prostitution."

She flinched.

"And do you know," He continued, "how we train you to become a prostitute?"

It was then that Kaoru noticed the other men were being to crowd around her.

"We help you learn the proper techniques. Now…" The boss held up his hand towards her, reaching for her chest. Before he could touch anything, though, the door burst open.

A man sprinted through. "In…Intruder!!" He fell down, unconscious from a wound to his shoulder.

"Damn!" He turned to the men. "Find whoever it is and take care of it!!"

Kaoru, of course, knew exactly who it was, and that they didn't stand a chance. She chuckled a little, imagining the fate in store for these selfish bastards.

Upon hearing this, the boss whirled around. "Do you think this is _funny, _bitch!?" He slapped her. She, in turn, kicked him in the stomach. Before he could do anything more, the door crashed open. The men she beat up before burst through, shouting "He's here! He's here!"

The boss turned around. "Someone's here!? Shit! Who!?"

Kenshin stepped inside, men on both sides of him falling to the ground, limp. He saw her, tied up from behind, and the men around her shouting at him. Calmly, he approached them. Kaoru's heart beat wildly.

"Who the hell are YOU!?" The men felt for their weapons.

"You are holding this woman captive. I insist you release her. NOW." He stared at the rope binding her, angry.

"Insolent fool!"

"But a _brave, _insolent fool…"

"Who cares what he is! He's dead!"

"Enough talk! Let's get him!"

Kenshin raised his sword, preparing to attack. Suddenly, Kaoru felt something metallic jab her in the back of the neck. In a flash, her mind burst in comprehension, remembering her most recent nightmare. This was exactly like it in every way. No, it was more than that—she WAS in her nightmare. Realizing this, Kaoru was speechless.

"Move any closer, buddy," the leader said behind her, "and…BANG! The lady gets it with my pistol here. Die in her place, and she'll be fine."

Kenshin stared at the weapon, horrified. Kenshin's hand that held the weapon shook.

"Kenshin, NO!!" Kaoru managed to choke out. But he gave her the same look of love that he had in her dreams, and lowered his sword. Amber flickered in his eyes.

Her mind raced. She remembered quite distinctly the cuts he had received in her nightmares after he always lowered his sword; they were too serious for him to survive. Unless…

She devised a plan.

"Kenshin, don't do this! You…can't!"

His eyes were almost completely amber once her words hit his ears.

"Shut _UP_!!" The boss behind her jabbed her sharply with the pistol.

Upon seeing this, his eyes completely turned to amber, enraged on what was happening to her.

"GET HIM ALREADY!!"

The men drew their weapons and attacked him. His blood rained upon the room, and he stumbled down.

Oooo, a cliffy! ^_____^ You guys are going to hate me for this, but that's all for this chappy. C'mon, I gotta have _some _kind of suspense! Right?

*readers glare at me*

…Right!?

*a whole buncha fruit is thrown*

AAAHHH!!! *runs* Well, you can find out what happens…that is, if you guys review a lot! ^_^ Bye!!


	6. The Warrior Awakens

Hello everyone! Time for an update! ^___^ As usual:

1) I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…STILL…*sigh*

2) Haha, my cliffy got the exact reaction I thought it would. I guess I was kinda evil, hehehe! ^^

3) *wipes fruit off* Ahhh…guess I deserved that!

4) Hope everyone had a nice Halloween! ^____^ I dressed up as some who just woke up…I had a bathrobe on and my hair was messed up. Of course, that's what I typically look like anyways! ^^ hehehe

And now, the next chapter. Enjoy!!

~~~***~~~

"KENSHIN!!!" Kaoru cried. She had taken a real gamble. She prayed it had worked.

Kenshin didn't move. Blood seeped through his clothes.

"This guy's a goner."

~~~***~~~

The night watchers slumped down, out cold. 'A nice warm-up.' Sano thought.

Yahiko straightened up as well, finished with his share. "What now?"

"We go look for Kenshin and Kaoru."

"Do you think he'd want us to do that? Didn't he tell us to stay here?"

"We have to, he might need our help. Let's go."

The two of them burst through the doors, not at all surprised to see some unconscious men in there already.

"…Which way?" Yahiko asked, puzzled.

Sano chuckled. "Follow the knocked-out bodies! Kenshin'll be there! C'mon, Yahiko!"

And so, the two raced on.

~~~***~~~

_He was sitting against a sakura tree. Blinking a few times, he wondered what he was doing here. He shifted his weight and gasped, noticing a head resting on his stomach. It was Kaoru's._

_"Such a peaceful day, isn't it?"_

_He nodded._

_"I'm…calling for you…" She looked at him. "…you know?"_

_He nodded again._

"Please wake up."

_He shook his head._

_"It's time to stop dreaming."_

_He sighed._

_"Please…" She sat up and gave him an urgent kiss on the lips. The world faded._

~~~***~~~

"Please…get up…" Kaoru was crying now. The boss scowled at her.

"Was that your precious 'knight in shining armor,' lady? Too bad he's dead. I guess any hope you had went out the window, eh?"

But it was now that she didn't hear him.

"H-Hey…boss…!!!"

"What NOW!?" He whirled around. "If you-" He stopped in mid-sentence.

Kenshin was standing up. His face lifted, and his bangs revealed the hottest, brightest, amber eyes he ever gave.

"It-it's the _battousai!!!"_

Without saying a word, he staggered over to Kaoru and cut the rope binding her with his sword. She looked at him, fearful but thankful for those amber eyes, knowing that was the reason Kenshin survived such an attack. He turned to the leader, who was trembling in the corner.

"Shit! You're…you're…"

In a blink of an eye the man fell down, with a wound to his shoulder and leg.

"But…how…!?" He shouted, and then blacked out.

After a moment, the Battousai staggered down again. Kaoru gave a shriek and rushed to him. The amber in his eyes began to fade.

"Please…please, stay like that for just a little longer…until we can get some medical help for you…"

"Bastards." He said roughly.

She nodded in agreement.

"Sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"Tired…" He whispered hoarsely.

"I know you're tired." She hugged him. "But, please, hang on for just a little longer, okay?"

"Yes."

Tears ran down her cheek, and she cradled him in her arms.

~~~***~~~

Sano and Yahiko eventually made their way into the room they lay in, shocked to see the condition Kenshin was in, especially because he was now the Battousai, but very relieved to see Kaoru all and well, and exceptionally happy to see the leader of the group next to them, defeated.

"Is he alright, Kaoru?"

"Yes, but we _must _hurry."

"Alright." Sano said. "Yahiko, run to the police and notify them about these criminals so justice can be served. I'll help Kaoru carry Kenshin back the dojo, and once we get there, I can run to Genzai-sensei to look after his wounds."

The three nodded together at the plan. Kaoru and Sano balanced the Battousai on their arms and shoulders, and moved quickly back to the dojo. Yahiko followed then out the door, then turned in the opposite direction.

Sano was worried, and only partially for Kenshin's sake. He knew the Battousai was strong—he would survive this ordeal, slowly.

Kaoru, on the other hand…

He glanced at her. Kaoru's bangs hid her emotions, but he didn't need to read her face to know her thoughts. Sano understood quite well how upset she must be, but still, confident that Kenshin would pull through. It could not end any other way. Right?

They reached the dojo. Sano helped her set the Battousai onto his futon, then said, " Wait here and get some bandages. I'll go run to Genzai-sensei now." She nodded. He hesitated for a moment, saying "Kenshin would not want you to worry as much as you are, Kaoru. Stay by the man you love, and only think about the days you _will _have together instead of worrying about the present." Kaoru's eyes widened in shock. She turned to Sano, but he was already gone.

She had no time to think further about this subject. Kaoru ran to get some bandages and quickly began putting them on. She took a wet cloth and washed away all the blood that had dried. Her tears fell upon his skin—she could hardly bear to see him like this.

But I _must,_ she thought. Sano told me so.

"Kao…ru…" A feeble yet familiar whisper swept over her. Kaoru's tears increased. She couldn't help it! Her rurouni opened one eye to look at her. It was still amber.

"Please, stay as the Battousai a little longer. You can't bear these wounds in your regular form!" Kaoru wanted badly to see him as his normal self, with those soft eyes instead of the hard ones looking at her now. She missed his gentle-rurouni voice, and wanted the harsh battousai whisper to go away.

"Dream." He said faintly. "You."

What was he trying to say…? "Please, don't talk anymore. Save your strength!"

"Love." His eyes closed, and his head drooped.

~~~***~~~

"Hey!!! Is anyone HOME!??" Sano ran up to the doctor's door and pounded down. "OPEN UP!"

After a few minutes a light could be seen on. The light traveled to the door and it opened. Genzai stepped through.

"…Sano? Is that you?"

He gasped for air for a few seconds, then said, "Please! You must come immediately!"

The doctor nodded. This was a normal thing for him. As they ran back to the dojo, he asked the questions.

"Who?"

"Kenshin!"

"When?"

"He received his injuries about an hour and a half ago."

"How?"

"He was in a fight."

"Why?"

"To rescue Kaoru."

They hurried along like this, with Sano filling him in little by little. At last they reached the dojo. Once inside, Sano and Genzai raced to the stop where the Battousai was last. When they got there, they saw Kaoru next to him, her hands on his chest, making noises of despair that sounded like a mix between a shriek and a moan.

Sano stepped forward. "I told you not to worry too much, Kaoru…for his sake…"

She quickly gave him a look that told Sano to 'shut up or else' and then moved away a little for the doctor to examine the rurouni.

~~~***~~~

"Look kid, go home. It's late, and I'm sure your parents are worried about you."

"I'm _NOT _a kid!! And you _must _believe my story!"

"Look, KID, there is no mansion in the woods. There never was. My men patrol that area every day and have never seen it."

"But…but I _know _the way!"

"…Pfft. Just go home already, will you!?"

"Listen mister, it's _hidden. _They built it in a highly concealed location, perfect for the black market-"

"-And how would a shrimp like _you _know about _that!?"_

Yahiko threw his hands up in anger. "…_Please, _if you could just let one of your men come with me, I could prove I'm not lying! Give me a chance!"

The man leaned back in desk, deep in thought. Then, after a minute, he said "All right. I'll send two men with you. But if you're lying, punk…" He leaned forward. "…These floors could use a good scrubbing."

Yahiko reluctantly bowed in understanding, then hurried out.

~~~***~~~

"This whole thing is my fault…"

"Here—see, there's a path that's kinda hidden to the left."

"I'll need some ointments."

"Don't say that, those bastards are to blame!"

"Incredible! Look how big it is! Very nicely concealed, too…"

Arigato… 

"Water! Someone, go find some water!"

"…What're all these unconscious bodies doing here!?"

"I just can't help it…"

"Who _did _this!?!?"

"I'll go."

Shimashita… 

"Kenshin, of course!"

"It should have been me instead…"

"I'm afraid we're out of bandages."

"HIM! It's the man we've been searching for all these months!"

"I'm back, and here's what you asked."

"Here, tear off some of my clothes in place of them."

"Hurry…"

Ureshi.

Well, that's all for this chapter!!! REVIEW!!!! ^____^ More to come! Ja ne!


	7. The Letter

Hi everyone. ^__^ Time for an update. Keep reviewing everyone! Luff the ones so far! A/N:

1) Nope, don't own Rurouni Kenshin (if you didn't know that by now)

2) Some people were confused by the last section of Chapter 6. Here's some clarification: (remember, Genzai, Sano, and Kaoru were in the same room, and Yahiko and the policeman were talking together as well) The order was Kaoru, Yahiko, Genzai, Sano, the police officer, Kenshin, Genzai, the police officer, Kaoru, the police officer, Sano, Kenshin, Yahiko, Kaoru, Genzai, the police officer, Sano, Kaoru, Genzai, and finally Kenshin. Hope that helps a little.

Hope you like this next chappy! ^______^ Here it is:

~~~***~~~

"Kaoru! Where are you!?" Kenshin sat up in the futon.

A hand laid on his chest and gently pushed him back down. "I'm right here. Please, save your strength." She smiled and put a wet cloth on his forehead.

He studied her face. Kaoru's smile did not mask the bags under her eyes, the clothes she had been wearing since yesterday, her out-of-place hair, or her shaky hands.

"You're worried."

She said nothing.

"I don't want you to distress over my sake. I deserved what happened. Please, get some rest."

She shook her head strongly.

"Please, Kaoru. I'm fine now."

She took the cloth away and handed him some tea. "Drink this."

Kenshin sighed and drunk it down, clearly unhappy over her refusal. "What happened to the men that took you?"

"They're in jail now. Yahiko managed to persuade the police to come with him, where they discovered the mansion. All of the girls held prisoner were quickly freed, and now they're all serving a life sentence. Of course, they will take a long time to recover from the wounds you gave them." She smiled.

Kenshin gazed out the window nearby. "I don't really…remember much of it…what happened?"

Silence.

"Kaoru…" He turned to her. "…what did I do?"

"You rescued me. That's all that matters." She would tell him about the battousai part later. Maybe.

Kaoru watched him finish the tea, then handed him some soup. Kenshin shook his head at it. Her eyes widened in shock and urged the bowl into his hands.

"I'll take this if you promise to get some rest now." Kaoru put on her pouting face. Oh, how he loved that little face of hers. But his resolve did not waver. His expression remained stern, so finally she nodded and walked out of the room slowly. Kenshin smiled at his accomplishment and took the bowl she left.

A few moments later Genzai appeared in the room. "Glad to see you're awake, Kenshin. You've been in a coma for the past three days. You had some pretty serious injuries."

_'Three days!? _Kaoru was wearing the same clothes when I saw her last. Did she stay by my side that whole time!?' Kenshin put on his rurouni mask, saying "Thank you for attending to my injuries, Genzai-sensei. I feel much better."

"Wonderful. In about a week or so you should have a full recovery. In the meantime, get plenty of rest."

"I'll try to go back to sleep, that I will." He smiled.

"Great. Well, it looks as though my job is done here. Don't forget to change those bandages now and then." The doctor walked out of the room.

"Goodbye, and thanks again." Kenshin laid back into the futon, deep in thought.

~~~***~~~

Two weeks passed by. Kenshin's strength returned to him, and during the time he was rarely left alone, happily accompanied by Sano, Yahiko, Genzai, and of course, Kaoru. After much persuasion from him she would finally lie down and get some rest, but Kaoru insisted that her futon be moved right outside his room, so if Kenshin ever wanted anything she would be there. But he never DID want anything. Occasionally he would ask for new bandages or that the window be opened, but he only asked for this to busy Kaoru's mind and let her be more useful. That was what she wanted, he could tell.

But Kaoru was not completely naïve. She knew some days his injuries were exceptionally painful. She wanted to bear the pain with him, but obviously couldn't, so she tried to do everything possible for Kenshin. And, somehow, she felt responsible for what happened. But being the man he was, Kenshin never said anything about the pain. He would just smile his rurouni smile and say "Everything is fine, Kaoru. Please don't worry about me and get some rest."

Sano and Yahiko did their part as well. They made the atmosphere more pleasant for the most part with stories of the past, and of the present, like what happened that day. Sano mentioned how Yahiko had his eye on "A nice girl at the Akabeko" (Yahiko then proceeded to deny this furiously and bonk Sano on the head). Yahiko told Kenshin of how he caught an enormous fish while fishing that day (he illustrated its size with his arm length). Kenshin laughed at these stories and wished he could have been there to witness them.

And now, he was finally out and about again. Kenshin tried to make himself as useful as possible, but Kaoru would have none of that. In the end, he resorted to handing her ingredients while she was cooking.

A letter came to them one day from the police department. Upon opening it, the gang crowded around and read its message, regarding the men they fought in the mansion. It read:

**Dear Residents of the Kamiya Dojo,**

**Thank you for helping us apprehend the criminals of the newly discovered mansion. For the past six months young women have been disappearing in this area with no reason or explanation. This led us to the theory that someone was kidnapping them. You can imagine how happy we were after six months of searching with no leads or results, that we finally found the gang behind all this (particularly the Chief, whose own daughter disappeared among the others).**

**We heard from the young boy one of your comrades was badly injured in the mansion from this. We offer our deepest sympathies for this man, as a token of our appreciation, disclosed in this envelope is a check of 1,000,000 yen, the reward money for these criminals.**

**Again, we offer our thanks.**

Everyone turned their gaze slowly from the paper to Kenshin.

He stared dazingly at the words for a minute, then said, "N...nani!?!?"

"Congratulations, Kenshin." The others said breathlessly.

"But-but-" He sputtered.

"You deserve this, Kenshin!" Sano said to him. "After that fight you gave them, you deserve A BILLION yen!"

"Let's go on a vacation!" Yahiko jumped up and down excitedly.

"But...I don't need any money..."

"Well then," Kaoru said, "you could always give it away to a local charity. I'm sure they'd like that." He nodded.

"Aww, man!" Sano and Yahiko said at once.

"No, I think that will be best. I'll go into town and exchange the check for someone who needs it more." Without saying another word, he walked out.

"Kaoru!!" The two shouted at her.

"You two KNOW Kenshin would never keep that much amount of money for himself..."

"But...our vacation..." Yahiko mumbled in despair.

Kaoru smacked him upside the head. "You don't NEED a vacation, baka. See how healthy you are? Now then, back to your chores." She shooed him away. Sano laughed at this, then went outside to mooch around like always.

~~~***~~~ 

Kenshin returned an hour and a half later, smiling about something. 'He must feel pretty good, giving away all that money to places who need it.' Kaoru thought. They all ate dinner, then went to bed for the night. 

…Well, that's all for now. REVIEW! ^^ Hope you liked it—tell me if you did, or otherwise! Heh heh, arigato! Ja ne!


	8. The Technique

Back again, and it's time for another update. This chappy is longer, promise! But first…

1) Nope, don't own Rurouni Kenshin…MAN that'd be nice though…hehehehe ^^

2) As a heads-up, the following chappy has LOTS of fluff…hope you're in the mood for it, lol.

3) Some people (hehehe) kinda didn't like the fact that the last chappy was so short. Well…that's because it was updated so quickly, right? I thought you guys didn't want another cliffy on your hands…guess not. ^____^ And anyways, like I said, this one is longer.

Well, that's all for A/N. Here you go, hope you enjoy…!

~~~***~~~

Kaoru and Kenshin's courting continued from that day. Their next romantic interlude was about three days later. Kaoru finished the chores for the afternoon and wandered outside. She walked to a hill with the valley down below and began to practice her strokes. She moved left, then right, then back, swishing the air. After about 15 minutes of exercise she suddenly turned around and saw him standing there.

Startled, Kaoru exclaimed "Kenshin! How long have you-"

"I've been here the whole time, that I have." He walked up to her with his usual mask. "You have a very graceful fighting stance, Kaoru, that you do. I don't know much about the style of fighting you use, but my master once taught me a technique that would be perfect for it. Here, let me show you." Before she knew what was happening, Kenshin walked up behind her and put his arms around her body. His hands gently moved over to hers and sat where she held the weapon. "Hold it like this." His breath was so close that it fell upon her neck. She shivered slightly. Kenshin smiled innocently. "Now bring it up..." His hands guided hers, lightly caressing her fingers. She couldn't breathe. "And lean back." He whispered softly. Kaoru's heart picked up speed a little. She leaned back into Kenshin, resting her head on his shoulder and neck. "Now swing to the left or right." They moved their arms up together and continued to follow the technique. Kenshin's body had become synchronal with hers—their arms became attached, their legs reaching the same distance. Kaoru eyed him suspiciously, but his mask was still on, so she tried to not fall for his trap, and concentrated only on her weapon and the steps she was learning. Once, when they had to move swiftly to the right together, Kenshin's lips brushed against her neck softly. It was only for a moment, but her breath quickened at the touch. "Concentrate, Kaoru." He said in an amused voice. "Don't breathe so fast, otherwise the enemy will know you're tired, that they will." She nodded with slight impatience of his pleasurable torment, and her breath gradually slowed to match his. Glancing at him, she saw the flashes of amber in his eyes.

"Finally," Kenshin said after they were nearly done, "turn quickly for any enemies that are behind you and-" Kaoru spun around suddenly and gave him a kiss—she was through with his tantalizing teases. Kenshin's eyes went wide from her suddenness, but quickly got over it and pulled her closer. He reached around, holding her neck warmly, and looked at Kaoru with soft eyes. Their support collapsed and they fell onto the cool grass together.

Kaoru broke their kiss and whispered breathlessly to him, "You can teach me the rest later." She smiled, and drew closer to his face. Her lips fell lightly on his own and rested there for a few seconds before grazing his lower mouth with the utmost tenderness. He sighed softly, and in turn pulled her closer, caressing her upper mouth with equal passion.

They sat up. Kenshin started to walk over to a nearby tree. Puzzled, Kaoru followed. He rested happily against it and motioned for her to come down to him. She obliged and rested her back against his chest. Kenshin wrapped his arms in a carefree way around her waist. The two lovers laid like that for several minutes, staring at the stars and not saying a word. After a while Kaoru remarked slowly, "…They'll be wondering what happened to us, Kenshin."

He only tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her closer. She enjoyed this moment more than he could ever know, however, she persisted. "They might come looking for us."

"Let them come."

"Kenshin, I don't want them to worry…"

"A few more minutes, Kaoru. Please."

She smiled faintly. "…Alright. A little while longer, then."

"And…" He hesitated.

She looked back at him. "Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you something Kaoru…"

"Oh?" She snuggled against his chest. Kenshin sighed in content.

"Well, actually I have already questioned you about this, Kaoru. You still have not given me an answer…" She looked at him in curiosity. He continued. "I want you to tell me what exactly it was that I did. Back at the battle in the mansion."

Oh.

"If it's something terrible I'm afraid I don't deserve to be in your presence right now."

"Baka! Don't be silly!" She laughed. "You risked your life for me!"

"But then…I'd remember it, wouldn't I?"

"You don't remember because…well……you saw me…being hit by one of the men…and you……you…turned into the…battousai."

"Oh."

"Actually, I sort of made you become the battousai, so your body could bear the wounds you received."

"But…does this mean I will go back to my old man-slaying ways?"

"Of course not. Your act was righteous, and besides, in the end no one was killed."

He moved forward and kissed her briefly on the cheek. "Thank you, Kaoru."

She opened her mouth to say something, but they both heard a faint "Kaoru! Kenshin! Where'd you guys go!?!?" in the background. The two stood up quietly and walked back to the dojo, hand in hand.

~~~***~~~

"WHERE _WERE _YOU TWO!?!? HUH!? HUH!?!?!?" Yahiko was jumping up and down in anticipation for their answer. Kenshin and Kaoru rolled their eyes at him and walked inside.

"Hey!! HEY!!!"

"_Enough, _Yahiko." Sano forced him down to stop his jumps. "You're going to jump right out of Japan if you keep doing that…" He turned to them. "Next time, you should at least _try _to pretend you went somewhere important…don't come back together, either…"

"Or-Oro!?"

_"SANO!" _Kaoru waved her fist at him.

A light bulb went on in Yahiko's head. "OOHHHHHHH!!!! They were _kissing!!!"_

Kaoru hit both of them on top of their heads. Kenshin blushed furiously and continued saying 'Oro? Oro?' Somehow in the mist of all this Sano pulled Yahiko away and out of the dojo to explain a few things to him. Kaoru quickly went to her room from embarrassment, and the confused Kenshin just shrugged, walking back to his room for the night as well.

~~~***~~~

The next morning Kaoru sent Kenshin and Yahiko once again to the market. Obviously Kenshin put up no complaints—Yahiko, on the other hand, needed much persuasion and a little bribery before finally going.

"If I don't get some time away from that child," She said under her breath when he was gone, "I'll go insane one of these days…"

The two walked on in silence. Kenshin didn't really know what to say to him, so he continued to shuffle his feet on the path. Yahiko was making swooshes in the air with an imaginary sword. Finally, Kenshin swallowed his thoughts, saying, "Yahiko, uh…about what happened yesterday…"

"Sano told me you guys went to train together. He asked if I knew what he meant and I said yes. You guys shoulda just told me in the first place!"

He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "…Right. We were just…training."

But Yahiko's attention span ran out, and he continued making swooshes in the air with his imaginary sword.

~~~***~~~

Finally they reached the town. Kenshin and Yahiko together went to buy the groceries for the week, which wasn't much considering the amount of money they had. As the two were leaving they passed a flower stand. The old woman running it said to them "You there, with the fiery hair!"

Kenshin turned to her. "Yes, Miss…?"

The old woman cackled. "It's been YEARS since anyone called me a 'Miss.' Have a flower on the count!"

"Oro?"

"Yeah, c'mon Kenshin! You can give it to Kaoru when you get back!"

"N-Nani!?"

The old woman stared at him. "I see it in your eyes—you're in love, young man. Give her a nice flower, hmm?"

"ORO???"

"Come _ON, Kenshin!" Yahiko pushed him forward. Dazed, Kenshin took a flower from the woman and uttered some sort of thanks. She chuckled._

"No need to thank me. Now, shoo, shoo! I have more customers." She turned to a person standing next to them.

Kenshin stumbled away and they went home. Yahiko urged him to hurry so Kaoru wouldn't be mad. Kenshin thought to himself: 'Does Kaoru even _like flowers? What if I get her the wrong thing? What if…she's allergic? Oh please let her not be allergic…' When they got back to the dojo, Yahiko shoved him through the gate. He stumbled through and looked up to see Kaoru watching him questionably while sweeping her broom._

"You guys are home a bit later than it normally takes you…did anything happen?"

Yahiko puffed out his chest. "Kenshin has something to give you!"

Kaoru looked at him, puzzled. "Oh? And what would that be?"

"Show her, Kenshin!"

Looking into her eyes, Kenshin produced the flower and slowly handed it to her, blushing. Kaoru stared at the gift for several seconds, then said, "Oh! It's lovely! Thank you, Kenshin!" She smiled sweetly and closed her hand around it, and gave him a silent 'Thank you, Kenshin' look, with another meaning.

"Don't thank me…" Kenshin said after he nodded to her silent thoughts. "Thank Yahiko here. He wanted me to give this to you, that he did." Kaoru gave a surprised glance at him.

Yahiko turned a deep shade of red. "I…I did _NOT!"_

The couple chuckled at him and walked back into the dojo together.

….Well, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed it. R&R please!!! Arigato!! ^_____^


	9. The Wait

Hi everyone, vira here. Keep those reviews coming! Some A/N:

1) The following chapter has been edited for…you know. Lemon stuff (not very much, but still). Visit my website.

2) I don't own Rurouni Kenshin!!!

3) I know this chappy is a little short but trust me, there will be more…

^_____^ Well that's all. Here you go:

~~~***~~~

Later that night, Kaoru crept up to Kenshin in private to thank him for the flower. She found him carrying around a bucket of water (probably for some chore or other). Giggling, she sneaked up to him from behind and wrapped her arms quickly around his neck. Kenshin, being the samurai that he was, heard her approaching long before, but allowed Kaoru to come near him anyways.

"Guess who?" She said into his ear.

"…Someone very beautiful?"

She giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I want to thank you for giving me the flower today, Kenshin. It's really pretty."

"You're welcome, Kaoru."

"Didn't it cost a lot of money? I only gave you enough to buy what we needed…"

"The woman gave it to me for free. She told me that I was obviously in love, so the flower should be given to you." He smiled in remembrance.

"In…love?" Kaoru gasped at the words.

"Yes…" Kenshin turned to her. "You didn't know?"

"Well I…I suppose I did. I mean, assumed."

"Let me say it for assurance, then." Kenshin looked her in the eye. "I love you."

Blushing slightly, she nodded. "Then I love you too." They gave each other a kiss.

"Come." In one swift movement, he lifted Kaoru from the ground and carried her bridal-style back to the dojo with speed. In a flash they were in her room.

She looked at him questioningly. "Kenshin…?" Streaks of amber flashed in his eyes. He was up to something. Chuckling, he walked behind her and kissed the back of her neck roughly. Her eyes widened as he began to tug at her kimono. "Kenshin…please…what if you're not fully healed yet? We can't…it's too soon…" In response, Kenshin gently undid her ponytail and let her hair fall down.

"Kenshin, you might not be well enough for this…are you sure?"

Suddenly a voice shouted into the window. "KAORU!!! Are you in there!?!?" To Kenshin's displeasure, she moved away from him and looked outside. There was Yahiko, looking at her questioningly.

"Hey ugly! What're you doing in THERE!? You're _supposed _to be training with me, remember?"

Kaoru ignored Kenshin's growl and said, "Oh, sorry Yahiko. I uh…forgot."

"I've wasted enough of my time looking for you! Why are you in there!?"

Kenshin moved up beside her, and out of Yahiko's view, began playing with her kimono and kissed her back.

Kaoru struggled to answer in a normal voice. "Well I-ungh-felt a little tired, and I wanted to take a quick nap in here." She sighed happily.

A light bulb appeared over his head. "Hey, wait a minute…why is your hair down?"

She gave a short gasp, thankfully too quiet to be heard by the boy. Kenshin was now running his hands up and down her legs. "I-I wanted to lie down, remember? Ohhh…" His hands were replaced with his tongue.

He eyed her suspiciously. "Are you…feeling alright?"

She squirmed. "Yeeesss…I uh, am feeling quite well, thank you Yahiko." Kenshin paused his movements to chuckle at the effect he was giving her, which gave Kaoru enough time to say, "Start your warm-ups, Yahiko. I'll get ready now."

"Hurry up, will ya!?"

When he disappeared from sight, Kaoru turned to Kenshin in annoyance. He beamed at her, smiling that innocent rurouni smile. 'That little tease...' she thought. 'Well, two can play this game!'

"...I grow tired of this waiting, Kaoru." His eyes sparkled with amber. "If I don't get what I want soon, I'm afraid my patience will run out."

She purred, which made Kenshin growl. He lunged at her, but she quickly ducked out of the room and ran through the hallway. He cursed himself at his failed attempt and walked calmly out the door as his normal rurouni self. Kaoru, meanwhile, ran down through the dojo as she put her hair back up again and tightened her kimono to the way it was.

~~~***~~~

She raced outside, where she found Yahiko waiting for her.

"Hope you're ready, Kaoru!"

"And _I _hope you've stretched already. Are you prepared?"

"For the last ten minutes! Let's go!" He began to run towards her, weapon out.

"Loosen your movements, Yahiko." She mingled with the wind and dodged his attack. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kenshin watching from the distance, slightly concealed behind a corner of the dojo. She smiled. Her performance would begin here. She turned back to Yahiko, saying "Keep your eye on your opponent, not on your victory." He nodded quickly and ran towards her again, this time with more carefulness. Kaoru swung her weapon up.

Kenshin's eyes widened as he saw the stance Kaoru took. She held her weapon up and leaned back. She turned to the left and dodged his attack, then quickly spun around. Obviously, there was more to this technique, but she stopped there, as if…she needed to learn the…rest…Kenshin's thoughts flashed back to the hill they stood on, and how she stopped him before they could finish the technique. Her stance was the same as before. He growled hungrily and continued watching.

Kaoru smiled, purring as she saw his reaction. She continued to duel with Yahiko, dancing like a flower in the wind. Kenshin little by little edged closer and closer to her—so close that she was almost in his reach. He looked at her with longing.

"…Kenshin?" Yahiko stopped his movements and looked at the approaching rurouni questioningly. Peering at him closer, he gasped "…Hey! Your eyes…!"

Knowing full well the color his eyes must be emitting, he looked down, his bangs covering the top of his head. Wearing the mask, he said calmly "It's time for dinner, that it is. You two should rest—I saw your tiring performance." He said the last statement with emphasis, which Kaoru immediately caught.

'Dinner' was the magic word in Yahiko's mind. "Dinnertime!? Alright!! Later!" He ran off, completely forgetting what he had just seen.

Kaoru smiled innocently. "A nice cover."

"I had no other alternative."

"You brought this on yourself."

"_No one _deserves the torture you're putting me through." His eyes flickered heavily.

Chuckling at her success, she took a step towards the dojo. In less than a millisecond he was standing behind her back, saying into her ear "Did you _really _think I would let you go? After that little show you gave me?" Despite the impatient mood he was in, Kenshin stroked her hair from behind with the utmost tenderness.

She giggled. "You deserve it! You've lasted this long—surely you can last a little longer?"

Kenshin growled at these words. "It's been so long…" Pausing, he traced the outline of her body with his hands and inhaled her natural perfumes. "…It's been so long…since I tasted you…" He whispered roughly in her ear. "Even _my _patience has limits."

She nearly melted at these words, but managed to control herself. She had a score to settle! "You will get what you want…" She whispered slowly into his ear. Kenshin eagerly listened. "When I am done having my fun." He gave a short cry at these words and was about to say something when he heard footsteps approaching.

~~~***~~~

Sano was walking throughout the dojo, looking for either of them, wondering when dinner would be ready. He saw Kaoru standing alone on the training grounds and asked her "Hey, have you seen Kenshin? And when's dinner going to be ready?"

She looked at him quickly and replied, "Oh! Sano! Well-I, er…I think dinner for tonight we should go out to eat! My treat! What do you say?"

"You serious!? Wow! Thanks, Kaoru! I'll go tell the brat, and Kenshin if I can find him…" He started to walk away; them turned back to her, saying, "You…wouldn't happen to know where he went, do you?"

She blushed, saying "Why, no—I don't th-think so."

Sano smiled. "_Thought _you'd say that." He shrugged. "Well, I'm off…" he walked away calmly.

~~~***~~~

Sano found Yahiko next, waiting by the table. "Hey, brat, didn't you know? We're going out to eat tonight!"

Yahiko looked at him in surprise. "We…are!? But, but I…I thought…"

"Never mind what you thought. The point is, get ready so we can leave!"

The boy nodded quickly and ran off. Smirking, Sano turned a corner and encountered Kenshin. They noticed his bangs were down, but decided not to question.

"Oh! Hey there, Kenshin. Did you hear? We're going out to eat tonight!"

Kenshin looked at him in surprise. "Oh…really? Did Kaoru say that?"

He nodded.

"And…I suppose we'll stay there a long time? Talking about things, perhaps?"

There was something in Kenshin's voice that Sano could not quite understand. "Yes…just like normal. Why…?"

"No reason. Thank you for telling me." Kenshin walked calmly away. Sano tried not to think too much about it, and followed him outside.

Done with chappy 9! Stay tuned for more!! R&R PLS!!! THANKEE!!!! ^____^


	10. The Meal

Ahh, another update! Wow, thanks for reviewing everyone. Really appreciate it! Keep 'em coming! ^^

Before we begin, a few A/Ns…well actually a lot….

1) Nope, don't own Rurouni Kenshin (how predictable)

2) The following chappy is edited…blah blah blah…please go to my website to see the lemon for this chappy…you guys know what to do.

3) I forgot to mention…in chappy 3, I had a linkie with a nice pic of Kenshin and Kaoru (lime, not lemon!) and I guess ff.net edited that out. Look in my site for it.

4) Ahh yes…Kaoru's movements in the previous one…well she was replicating the technique Kenshin had showed to her earlier on the hill…he saw that she was doing it on purpose, so…yeah. Lol, did I make that too confusing? I try to keep things clear.

5) I know I should've mentioned this earlier…but…for all of my stories (yeah I know I appear to only have one right now, that's just on this account though) I like to add a little epilogue at the end. However, I only put that in if I reach my goal of reviews (in this case, 200). Soo…if you wanna see it, review! It's totally up to you! Yes, it will have a lemon in it…I won't say how many chapters are left, but I recommend you get started now! Lol ^__^

6) If anyone has any nice fluffy pics of Kenshin and Kaoru….E-MAIL ME!!! I luff those…it can be fanart or whatever. Send please! Thankee ^^

~~~***~~~

They walked towards the town in silence. Sano could obviously tell there was a certain amount of tension between Kenshin and Kaoru, and he noticed Kenshin still shielded his eyes like before. He turned to Kaoru and talked to her quietly about things that had happened that day. Kenshin was walking dangerously close behind her. He was menacingly silent.

"How did Yahiko's training go?"

She smiled faintly. "Oh...it was fine. He has quite a few things to learn, that's for sure.

He smirked. "Maybe I should offer some tips one day..."

"Don't be conceited!" She laughed.

At this point Yahiko stepped in. "WHY would I want that big clumsy jerk teaching ME how to fight!?"

Sano balled his fists, but ignored his comment. "You're not worth the effort, boy." He murmured.

"Besides," Yahiko continued, "why would I train with you guys when I have Kenshin here?" He motioned towards the rurouni. He paused, waiting for Kenshin's usual response to something like this, such as 'I think Kaoru is a better trainer than me, that I do.' or 'I'm not as great as you think I am.' But the samurai said nothing, so the boy continued. "I've learned more things from watching his battles than from all the months I've been training."

As they continued their conversation, Kenshin looked back at the road behind him. 'Kaoru…I want to hold you, now…more than I ever have…why are you making me wait…? I could not resist touching you before…your skin is too beautiful to not caress. Why…'

"We're almost there." Sano said quietly.

"I think..." Kenshin began. They all looked at him. He hesitated for a few seconds, struggling to control his manner. "I think I forgot something...back at the dojo...something important."

"Nani?"

"But we're nearly there!"

"…Can't it wait!?"

"No." He said flatly.

"...What is it...?"

"Something I would like to have." He said the last part with emphasis. Kaoru's ears perked up. "Two of you should go ahead and order the dinner, then someone can come with me back to the dojo."

'Three guesses who he wants to come with him.' Sano thought smugly.

Kaoru purred. 'Maybe _now _he'll think twice about teasing me…and right in front of Yahiko, too! I'll get even…I won't let him have me…I won't…no matter how much desire he shows…' "Okay. Sano, go with Kenshin to retrieve whatever it was he forgot. Yahiko and I will order the dinner."

Hearing these words, his eyes flared for a brief moment. Kenshin made some sort of noise that was a mixture between a whimper and an angry cry. He had some kind of contortion that looked like he began to run towards Kaoru but immediately stopped himself, before he even moved an inch. Kenshin sighed instead, saying, "I do not want to trouble Sano. I suppose we're nearly there--forget I said anything. Let's go eat." His voice was very strained. Smiling sweetly, Kaoru nodded and continued on. Puzzled, the other two males decided not to question anything, partially in fear of how Kenshin might react.

"It's been so long..." He murmured. "...So long..."

~~~***~~~

They arrived at the Akabeko and took a seat. After giving their orders, Yahiko whispered to Sano "Kenshin sure has been acting strange lately. Do you think he's not feeling well?"

Sano looked at Kenshin, then back at Kaoru (they were both sitting next to each other at the table they were in). "...Yes, I would say something is wrong with him today. A problem must be troubling his mind, Yahiko."

"Really? What?"

"...I really don't know." He lied.

Kaoru, meanwhile, had some problems of her own. Next to her, Kenshin kept fingering his chopsticks impatiently. After becoming tired of this, he would make a low, quiet, suggestive growl to tell her how impatient he was, which she ignored. Finally, he looked away, defeated for the moment. The waitress brought them their food, and Yahiko and Sano immediately plunged into their meal, oblivious of everything around them. Kenshin ate quickly as well, obviously anxious to get the dinner over with. In contrast, Kaoru ate very slowly. She picked out any uncooked rice she saw among the plate one by one and carefully sipped her drink. Unaware to her, Kenshin, after watching her wretched idleness, had feverishly grabbed another pair of chopsticks.

Kaoru on the other hand, would NOT look at him. She wanted to enjoy this a little further. Purring, she sipped her tea again and reached for her biscuit. Suddenly, she stared at her plate, wide-eyed. Didn't she have a biscuit a moment ago on her plate? No, maybe she had already eaten it. But wait, what happened to her egg roll? She looked at the floor. Did it fall down? No. Kaoru looked at Sano and Yahiko. Did they…!? A glance at her meal again answered the question—no—a good portion of her rice was missing.

"It looks like you're almost finished with your meal, Kaoru, that you do." Kenshin said to her sweetly, with his innocent rurouni mask on. He put down his extra pair of chopsticks. "Are you feeling full yet?"

Her ears burned for a moment, then she replied with equal sweetness "Oh, well actually I thought it would be nice if I order dessert for all of us after we're done with the meal. I'm not feeling full at all, and neither are those two over there, it seems."

They looked at each other intensely—both would not stand down; resolved the other would not win this silent battle. His eyes sparkled with impatience. Hers burned with defiance. This lasted for a moment only, then they turned away. Once Yahiko and Sano were finished (Kaoru had soon discovered that her food's destination ended on the two men's plates, which were quickly gone). The waitress came by again and took what was left. Kaoru requested a dessert for them all (the waitress smiled at the thought of any extra money) and a little later she brought them some homemade ice cream. The two men across from her shouted in joy and plunged in. Whenever Kaoru would reach for something, Kenshin would hand it to her instead, in the process caressing her hand so slightly no one would notice. He whispered to her with determination "I _will _win you tonight." She stopped breathing with these words, but her resolve stuck, and she continued to ignore him. 'How much more will he be able to take…?' Kaoru delicately took her spoon and lapped the dessert slowly, her eye half on Kenshin. He sucked in his breath and watched her lick the spoon clean, then plunged it into the ice cream again. She purred.

He watched her do this with an even greater impatience. Suddenly, without warning, something, some emotion inside of him, burst open like water in a dam. Without saying a word, Kenshin gently laid her hand down, took the spoon from her, and rested it on the table. She began to protest, but he whispered softly, "I think we should let Sano and Yahiko finish this, that I do." The moment he finished that sentence, his eyes turned completely amber.

This took Kaoru by surprise. 'The Battousai!' Did she take things a bit too far? Was this too much waiting for him?

No, she decided. He was just becoming very impatient; probably a bit too much for a sweet rurouni. Now, in this present form, the last thing he would do is let her win this, so she would bow to his will instead.

"Come." He said, in a different voice.

Wide-eyed, she nodded, making no effort to argue. She turned to the others. "You guys can finish our ice cream. Kenshin and I are feeling full, so we're going to head back to the dojo." The two questioned nothing, only thinking about the treasured dessert they would receive now. Kaoru laughed at their obsession with the restaurant's food, especially since they failed to notice the amber eyes looking at them. They walked out of the place calmly. Like nothing at all was happening. However, once they were in the street, the Battousai swiftly picked her up as if she were a feather and began to run home. Despite the slight fearfulness she was having at the thought of moving down the street at such a speed, she knew he could run much, much faster. So, she simply gripped tighter onto his shoulders and let him continue.

They finally reached the dojo. The Battousai headed straight to her room and laid her on the futon. Kaoru reached up to touch his cheek, but he paused, looking upon her intently for a few moments as if she were a treasure he was finally allowed to have. Smiling, she said, "It's alright. I don't mind." He nodded and bent down. His lips touched hers ever so slightly. She quivered. With a growl, the Battousai snapped her hair open and massaged the inside of her lips with his tongue.

"Finally…" He murmured. Their lips danced together. Kaoru was a bit overwhelmed by it all, but quickly realized she liked this side of him, if only for tonight. Feverishly, the Battousai kissed her neck, then her shoulders. She sighed softly and pulled him closer.

~~~***~~~

"Thanks for paying, Sano." The waitress said after he handed her the necessary money. "For once…" she murmured.

"Hey, hey hey! A lady friend of mine is paying for this. Don't cut me short."

"C'mon, Sano…" Yahiko complained. "Let's go back to the dojo already."

"Yeah, you're right, kiddo. G'night missy." He nodded to her and the two trudged down the street.

"…Ugh…sooo…full…" Yahiko doubled over. "Too much…"

"Well I suppose that's because you had two more helpings of ice cream, isn't it!?" Sano chuckled.

The boy groaned. "Do you think Kaoru will be mad that we spent all the change left over?"

"Nah. She knows us too well to think we'd actually _give _any money back. Besides, I spent the rest on minimizing my tab at that place. I've got a huge debt there…"

"We all know the story. Still, though…"

"Don't worry 'bout it. The money's probably the last thing on her mind right now."

"I hope she doesn't make me do those strokes I was supposed to finish before we left. I can barely _walk_…"

"It's pretty late. Everyone should be in bed by now."

They walked the rest of the way in silence, and finally reached the dojo.

Yahiko stretched out his arms and yawned. "Well, I guess we should get some sleep now…" He paused. "Hey…Sano…do you hear a noise?"

~~~***~~~

Kaoru looked up after it was all over and saw he was not moving, his eyes covered by his bangs. Slowly, she reached up and gently lifted the hair away, to reveal a pair of soft, violet eyes looking back at her. Smiling, Kenshin caught her hand and put it against his cheek.

"K-Kenshin!" She leaned forward and gave him a gentle hug.

He chuckled. "For someone who tortured me so much, you sure seem glad to see me, that you do."

Her eyes filled with a brief regret. "Oh Kenshin!" She fell forward against him and rested her head against his chest. "I…I'm so sorry, I-" How could she have _done _that to the poor samurai? What was she thinking!?

He stroked her hair lovingly and smiled reassuringly. "It's okay. I…enjoyed it."

Kaoru looked at him. "Really? You don't…hate me?"

Kenshin's laugh was muffled as he kissed the corner behind her neck to smell her perfume. "…No, I don't hate you. I love you too much to hate you, Kaoru."

However, she wasn't satisfied. "But…you became the Battousai!"

He smiled. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

She looked up at him. He could read her like a book! Kaoru blushed slightly, but refused to show him this. "I don't know what you're talking about, Kenshin." She said indignantly.

"Ah, but I think you _do._" He smiled. His eyes flashed amber for a second, causing her to suck in her breath, then they changed back. "…You see?" She was about to protest again, but he lifted her chin up and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. He would let her win this time—it was dangerous to ruffle Kaoru's feathers _too _much. He would make amends. "Thank you for helping me control the Battousai. You showed me he has another use than just…killing…"

She hugged him closer. "I was a little scared at first."

"I would never mean to scare you, that I wouldn't." He brushed his lips against her cheek with the slightest touch. He added silently, 'But I know you enjoyed it.'

To his surprise, she leapt up and pounced on him. They fell backwards on the futon, their laughter filling the room.

~~~***~~~

"It's probably either Kenshin or Kaoru getting ready for bed." Sano said slowly.

"Well then I'll go tell one of them we're back." Yahiko started towards the dojo, near the room Kenshin and Kaoru were in. Sano shrugged and followed him. When they reached the window they saw that the shutters had been closed.

"…That's odd…" Yahiko said. "She'll normally let me shout stuff to her from here…"

Something began to dawn on Sano. He peered slowly through a very small crack between each shutter and stared inside. His eyes widened.

Yahiko jumped up and down. "What's going on!?"

He snapped back to reality. "It, er…the crack is too small, I can't see anything." Sano said quickly. "Come on Yahiko, let's, er…go over here." He scooted the boy to another area.

Yahiko protested. "Hey! Why!?"

"Because…uh, I'm going to…watch you finish those strokes you were supposed to do."

"WHAT!? But…but…Sanooo!" He whined feverishly.

"Get going, kiddo. We need to keep Kaoru happy, eh?" Sano gave him a pat on the head.

"Yeah…but…I'm tired…" The boy hung his head and ran to find his weapon.

Sano glanced back at the dojo one more time. 'Damn! What the hell are they thinking!? They _knew _we could come back at any moment. Damn…' Sano punched a nearby tree. 'And now _I _have to be the adult here even though Kenshin's older than me! What if Yahiko had seen that!? What would I've told him!?' he punched the tree again. 'And…and the way they were looking at each other in the restaurant…damn…' He slumped down on the ground.

"If you keep hitting that tree, Sano, we'll have a lot more firewood." Yahiko said as he approached him, ready to start.

He smirked. "Maybe so. Well…I guess you can start, kiddo." Sighing, the boy nodded and began the exercise.

'I'll have to talk to them one of these days…' Sano thought.

Alrighty, that's all for chappy 10! That was a pretty long one, hmm? Well anyways, I'm outta here! Bye for now! ^__^


	11. The Discovery

Hi everyone. A/N:

1) I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

2) Thanks for all the fanart sent to me!!! =D Really luff it!!!!

….that's basically all. Story:

~~~***~~~

Eventually everyone was in bed, sleeping, thinking a million thoughts.

'Boy, am _I _ever tired…'

'I really MUST talk to them…I think I should, in the morning perhaps.'

'What a comfy futon. I wish I could sleep with you here all the time. Hmm…marriage…'

'Stupid Sano…stupid strokes…stupid…stupid everything…'

'What an amazing night. Thank you so much.'

'Ugh…I ate too much…uuuuugggghhhh…'

'That baka Yahiko! He needs to stop whining one of these days.'

'My hands fit perfectly around her waist. That's what I love the most, maybe.'

'I'm sick of practice!'

'What a disturbing day…'

'I wonder how much money those two _really _spent.'

'No, I think it's her neck. Yes, that's it.'

'One of these days I'll remember never to leave those two alone for very long.'

'That man _sure_ can use his hands…hehehehehe…'

'Then, of course, there's always her eyes…'

'I think both of my arms are broken. Huh! I wish I could break a certain rooster-head's arms…'

~~~***~~~

The night passed and day was upon the dojo again. Kenshin and Kaoru said their happy good mornings, and then went to make breakfast together. When they sat down to eat they noticed Sano was looking at them funnily. After a few minutes of ignoring him, Kaoru inquired, "Did you and Yahiko enjoy the rest of your meal, Sano?"

He averted his eyes. "It was excellent."

"That's good to hear!" She said brightly. "That cost a lot of money, you know."

Sano nodded in the affirmative. After thinking his next question over for a few moments, he asked, "What did you guys do back here while we were eating at the restaurant?"

Shocked at the question, the unofficial couple looked at each other, silently deciding what to say.

"We didn't do much." Kenshin said slowly. "Just…went to sleep soon after we got back." Kaoru giggled a little.

"Ah." He rolled his eyes. Kaoru looked at him in suspicion after the laughter inside her passed. Did he…?

'Why would _he _be asking about that? Sano never particularly cared what other people did…unless…' Her eyes widened in a sudden comprehension, and she ran from the room. Kenshin watched her leave in surprise and stood up to follow her. Before he could, though, a hand grabbed his shoulder and stopped him. He stared back into Sano's eyes.

"…Sano, is there something I have missed…?"

"Sit down, Kenshin." He motioned at the place he was sitting before he stood up. Reluctantly Kenshin took a seat.

"Oro?"

"Kenshin…I, well…" He began slowly. What should he say? How could he begin? Did he _really _need to inform him about this? Why did it matter? "Yahiko and I…came back. Earlier than you guys must have expected. And we went to look for you two…well…"

"N…Nani?"

Sano sighed in exasperation. "I saw you two on the futon, Kenshin! What if Yahiko had seen such a thing!?"

His eyes widened. Did he…did _he_…!? "You saw us!?"

"Yes, and I nearly had to throw Yahiko away from the window!" Sano folded his arms.

"Oh…oh!" Kenshin shot up from where he sat. "Miss Kaoru!" He cried out, in sudden understanding.

Sano stared at him. What was he doing? "…Kenshin?"

"I never should have touched…she is too…invaluable…"

"Kenshin!?"

"Her innocence…too pure…"

Sano stood up and grabbed him by the shoulders. "What're you rambling about? Snap out of it!"

But he would only stare into space. "Miss…Kaoru…I have destroyed her innocent name…tell her I am…unworthy…" Without saying another word, Kenshin ran with godlike speed from the room.

~~~***~~~

Kaoru ran to her room and shut the door. She squeezed her eyes shut. Sano _knew _what had happened. There was no doubt in her mind. But what now? What would she say? What would _they _say? Dazed, she automatically went to her futon and, soon after, fell asleep.

_Kaoru had another nightmare, for the first time since the kidnap ordeal. She was running. Running, running, through darkness, never seeing or knowing her destination. Ahead of her were two people. One was Kenshin, a gentle rurouni. The other was the Battousai. Both were looking at her, one smiling with kindness, the other with lust. She ran to them for an infinite amount of time, but she never reached them. They were always too far away…_

~~~***~~~__

She woke up suddenly, panting hard. Kaoru sensed a presence…

"You awake, missy?" She turned to see Sano standing in the doorway.

"Sano! Why are you…where's…what happened?" She stood up, fumbling.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"Sorry!" She exclaimed. "For what?"

"You were asleep for awhile." He continued.

She laughed. "Did I? Well, I suppose it's because I'm really tired. Or was, at any rate. But…" She stretched. "I feel refreshed."

"That's…good to hear."

"Yes." She turned to him. "Where is everyone?"

"Well, Yahiko is sitting on the front porch. You might want to talk to him now."

"Really? About…what?"

"You'll see."

"Okay." She walked out the door and through the hallway. Sano followed. They reached the front of the dojo, and saw Yahiko sitting there, depressed. Kaoru approached him.

"Hey."

He turned and looked at her, then looked back at the road. "Hi."

"Yahiko, is something the matter?"

"You slept for a long time."

"Really? How long?"

"When you went to bed, the sun was rising. Now…it's setting…"

She laughed. "_That_ long? Wow, I must have been REALLY tired!" She heard Sano scoff behind her, but she ignored it.

"And he still hasn't come back yet." Yahiko continued to look down the road.

Kaoru stopped laughing and looked at the boy. "…What? Who, Yahiko?" Suddenly, her eyes grew wide. She turned to Sano. "Where's Kenshin!?"

"Gone." He said quietly.

She sprang to her feet. "But…why? Where?"

"I don't really know. He would only say 'Tell Miss Kaoru that I am unworthy' and left."

"He called me—Miss Kaoru?"

"Yes. We would have looked for him, but…I'm pretty sure he didn't want us to follow."

"He said he's 'unworthy'? What did he mean by that?"

"…I think it must've been because he's blaming himself for what…uh…Yahiko and I discovered."

"…Oh."

Yahiko looked at them. "…What're you two TALKING about!? I haven't discovered anything! What's going on!?"

"Never mind about that, Yahiko. Sano, I'm going to look for him."

"I understand, missy. But what if you don't find him…?"

"Oh, I _will_. I'll be back shortly." And with that, Kaoru ran out of the dojo and down the road.

Sano shock his head. 'If they don't come back soon, I'll start looking too.'

~~~***~~~

Kaoru started to run down the street and through the roads. 'Where did that baka of mine go? He better not be too far!' She raced on. Before she knew it, a cry could be heard, and she promptly ran into the Doctor Genzai.

"Kaoru!" He stood up. "Where are you running off to at a speed like that?"

"Onegai shimasu, Genzai-sensei." She jumped to her feet and bowed quickly. "Forgive me, but I am in a hurry, and-"

"You _must _be! What are you doing racing around at an hour like this?"

"I'm looking for someone, sensei. I think he might've gone through here…"

"Oh really? Who?"

She looked at him. "Kenshin! Have you seen him? I'm really worried!"

He shook his head. "Sorry, I didn't see or hear him. Then again, these eyes and ears of mine aren't as sharp as they used to be." He smiled kindly like an old man would. "I wouldn't worry about him to much, Kaoru. He knows how to take care of himself after all."

"…Is Uncle Kenshin gone, Grandpa?"

The doctor looked down to see a small fist clutching onto his clothes. "Why, Suzume! Your bedtime was long ago! What are you doing out here??"

"…Uncle Kenshin…" The small girl repeated.

Kaoru smiled at the tiny voice despite the situation she was in. "Don't worry, Suzume." She said gently. "I'm sure I'll find Kenshin soon, okay? You don't need to worry about him."

"That's right." The doctor emphasized. "Now, go back to bed, okay Suzume?"

She sighed. "Okay…g'night, Grandpa. G'night, Miss Kaoru." She trudged away.

The doctor smiled as he watched her leave, then turned to Kaoru, saying "Well, you better get along. I'm sure Kenshin didn't go very far!"

Kaoru smiled faintly. "Thank you, Genzai-sensei." She bowed. "Well, I'm off! Goodbye!" She turned to the road and ran forward.

The doctor shook his head, and wondered why women have to worry so much.

~~~***~~~

Kenshin ran and ran. He went past the road, past the woods, past his memories. What was he doing? He didn't really know. Kenshin only knew he had touched something that he wasn't meant to touch. His paced slowed and he walked through the now empty town. Why was he running away from his problems? He should confront them like a true Samurai. And yet…and yet, he was so ashamed…

"Hello, young lad. What are you doing? Walking through town at _this _hour! Kids nowadays think they're invincible!

"Oro?" Kenshin turned to his left and saw the old woman who gave him a flower days ago stacking up a few boxes. "Oh! It's you! Arigato!" Kenshin smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"That's very kind of you. So, we meet again, eh?" She continued to stack.

"I…guess so!" He strolled over to her and helped lift a few boxes.

"What a kind gentleman. You must have a very lucky young lady, hmm?"

Kenshin's smile diminished. "Well, I don't know. I did a bad thing, and I'm not sure if she…"

"Pah! If she loves you enough, and you love her equally as much, anything can be forgiven."

He smiled. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course! But…" She straightened up. "What would _I _know? I'm just an old woman!"

"I don't think that's true, Miss." He said politely. She beamed.

"My late husband was just like you. Thanks for the trip down memory lane."

"I'm sorry to hear your husband has left this world, that I am." Kenshin bowed.

"Hai, 'tis a shame indeed." She reached behind the empty counter, took a boutique with a variety of flowers, and pulled out a delicate rose among them. "Well, I guess since no one bought this for today…here. Now…tell her what you told me." She handed him the flower. "This particular type symbolizes love."

"N-Nani?" He stared at it in his hand. "But—what if-"

"Don't worry. She'll welcome you back. Now, go!" The old woman shooed him away. Kenshin stumbled back down through the road, uttering thanks.

~~~***~~~

The sun was set, but Kaoru raced on. She ran and ran, through the streets, past the forest. "Kenshin! Kenshin!!" Kaoru cried. That baka! What was he thinking, walking away from her like this? She loved him! And he wouldn't dare forget it! "Kenshin!?" Her foot hit a stone, and she stumbled down. "Kenshin…" She sniffled, and felt tears coming. 'Why get up? I should just stay down here, for all anyone cares about me. What about _Kaoru's _feelings!? She doesn't matter at all!' Sighing, Kaoru closed her eyes.

Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was strong and reassuring. 'Quit dreaming, baka.' She scolded at herself. 'I'm not _really _feeling anything…' the hand gently crept from her shoulder down to her hand and held it tenderly. 'Well, for a dream, that certainly feels real!' Kaoru heard a chuckle from above.

"I'm sure the ground isn't very comfortable for a futon, that I am." The hand moved up to her chin and lifted her head up gently. She looked into soft purple eyes.

"_Kenshin!!_" She jumped up and buried her face in his chest. "Kenshin!!! Oh Kenshin!!"

"Is there something you want, Kaoru?" He laughed.

"Baka!" She kissed him on the cheek. "I was so _worried!_"

His smile faded. Kenshin bowed, saying "Please forgive me."

She nodded. "You don't need to worry about _that_. But why…?"

He took her hand. "I didn't know what to do…I'm sorry, Kaoru…on the one hand, I destroyed your innocent name-"

"WHAT!?" She looked at him, surprised. "Do you…do you mean _that's _the reason!?"

"Yes…"

"But…but I don't _care_, Kenshin…"

"I know you don't, Kaoru. But I do."

"Well _I _care about _you_. Don't you leave me ever again!"

He smiled and put his arms around her waist. "That's why I returned…I knew you would be…unhappy…"

Kaoru giggled. "Baka." She looked over his shoulder, and her eyes widened. "Kenshin, what's that?"

"Oro?" He looked down at his other hand. "Oh, this!" He laughed. "Well, despite my unworthiness, I decided to get another flower for you…" Kenshin brushed her hair back with his fingers lovingly. "A rose is the symbol of love, I am told."

She sighed in content. "You're not…unworthy of anything…"

"Your innocence is too pure for me." Kenshin gave her the flower, which she held with shaky hands. "You look so beautiful tonight…" He pulled Kaoru close and caressed his lips with the lightest touch up and down her neck, smelling her jasmine scent that he loved.

She closed her eyes. "Oh Kenshin…"

"I am sorry, that I am. No more talk for tonight." Simultaneously the pair looked into each other's eyes, and their lips met with a deeper love.

…Ahh, fluff…well, bye for now!!! R&R!!!!


	12. The Party

Time for an update!!! Vira's here again, thanks for all the reviews!!! Fluffy chappy coming up!!! ^____^ A/N:

1) I don't own Rurouni Kenshin

…heh, that's basically all for this time…enjoy!!: 

~~~***~~~

Four months passed, and the Kamiya Dojo was much the same. Kenshin and Kaoru continued to meet with love. Although they never spoke of their feelings to anyone but themselves, eventually the people they were close to, including Yahiko, Genzai, and Megumi, figured out where their relationship stood. Since then, Yahiko grew up a little and finally stopped teasing Kaoru so much. The others, however, remained unchanged. The next stepping-stone in the couple's relationship occurred when they were preparing for a party...

"Hurry and clean up the dojo, Yahiko. Remember, everyone will be here in the evening."

"Yeah, yeah...but Kaoru, why are we having this party anyways? Nothing has happened recently and it's not a national holiday."

"I don't know, Yahiko. Kenshin's paying for it, so I'm not too worried. Now, go find Sano and tell him we need more wood, okay?"

"Okay. But you know...well, I think it's odd." Yahiko shook his head and walked off.

Kaoru sighed and continued to sweep up the floor. She dusted, mopped, cleaned, and scrubbed. After the dojo was clean to her satisfaction level, she moved into the kitchen and began cutting a tofu square carefully. There was a window from where Kaoru was standing. To her happiness she could see Kenshin from it. He was washing the floorboards to the front porch quietly. She smiled, and watched him obediently soap up his cloth and scrub around. Any other man, she knew, would complain about any chore given and eventually forget about it. But not her Kenshin.

Kaoru scolded herself. 'Don't think about him _now! _Concentrate on getting ready for the party!' She doubled her chopping speed and moved over to boil some water. It was only after she had realized she put in a few wrong ingredients in the recipe from her haste. "Oh well...maybe it will still taste good."

"Would you like some help, Kaoru?" A voice said behind her. She turned to see Kenshin standing there, looking at her pleasantly with two empty buckets in his hands.

She flushed. "Oh!…Er, I—well, I don't _think _there's anything you need to do in here…I'm just waiting for the food to finish boiling."

He smiled a rurouni smile. Was he up to something? "I can watch it for you, that I can. You should rest for a little while."

"No no, that's okay, Kenshin." She replied quickly. "You've been working hard too. Rest now! Don't worry about it."

He slowly walked over and put his hand on hers, which was stirring the water. "I see. Well, perhaps once this food is done, we can…rest together?"

"Hai…" She said slowly. Kenshin gave her a kiss with happiness on the forehead and left. She tore her glance from him back to the dinner. 'What is this party for? Does everyone know something I don't? No, otherwise Yahiko would have said by now…Kenshin's probably paying for a party because he's sorry he broke my vase during his training! Hmm…no, that's not it…he already apologized a thousand times for that…or maybe he just wants everyone to have a good time? Hmm…I wonder…' Kaoru stirred the dish quietly for a few more minutes and saw it was finished, so she set it off to the side and went to go find Kenshin. What was he up to…? She passed Sano in the hallway. "Hey, Sano, can you finish setting up everything? I'm going to…walk around for a little bit. Um…in the dojo, you know, to make sure everything's set and ready for the party. Okay?"

He shrugged, obviously not caring what she did or where she went. "Sure thing, missy."

She walked away, then added as an afterthought, "…And don't eat any of the food, Sano! Those are for our guests!" He twitched at the words, but nodded. Satisfied, Kaoru walked down the hallway.

"In here, Kaoru." A voice said from the next room. She walked over to see Kenshin standing quietly to the side.

She looked at him suspiciously. "Kenshin?"

"Kaoru, I was hoping we could go for a short walk…for a little bit…that is, if you would like."

"Nani? But-"

"Don't worry," he said softly. "It won't take too long."

She walked over to him and nodded. "Okay. As long as we make it back in time…"

He reassured her that they would, then took her hand and led her outside.

~~~***~~~

"…Hey!!" Yahiko ran to the window and saw the two leaving. "Where are _they _going!? They're supposed to be helping us fix this place up!!!" He watched them with indignity as they crossed the gate and out of sight.

Sano appeared in the room. "Huh, well how about that. Are they really leaving already?"

"YES!! And meanwhile, we're stuck here…all these chores that need to be done, all the food that must be prepared…"

"Never _mind _about them, Yahiko. Just let them…go."

He turned to him and said angrily "Why should _I _clean up this place if they're just going to-"

The older man tussled his hair. "Look kiddo, Kenshin told us to wait here. We wait here."

Yahiko freed himself from the hair ruffling. "Oh, so you're in on this too!? What's going on!?!?"

"…Nothing. Nothing at all. Kenshin…just wants us to finish preparing for everything, okay?"

"Hmph." Yahiko waved his hand and moved to a different room in annoyance. Sano sighed, and continued to put out the food, which he was having a hard time not eating.

~~~***~~~

"Here we are, Kaoru. Sorry if my memory is a little fuzzy. This should be the right place, that it should…"

She gasped. "Kenshin, isn't this…?"

He smiled, and said quietly, "Yes, Kaoru, this is the spring from the night, long, long ago. Do you remember?"

"Yes, of course." She answered slowly. "But why here?"

He took her hand and led her through the path and to the secluded hill with the spring down below. Kaoru felt his hand in hers, and noticed that it was shaking slightly. "Kenshin…?"

He stopped and looked at her with loving eyes. "Oh Kaoru…" He said softly, "I…well, um…"

"…Is something….wrong?"

He gulped nervously. "No, no, not at all…it's just that…I-I love you, and have always loved you, and, well…" He got down on one knee and pulled out a sparkling diamond ring. Trembling, he held it out to her. "Although I am not worthy of your love, I am selfish. Will you marry me?"

Kaoru stared at him with wide eyes, then at the ring, then back at him. This was very unexpected. She felt faint. Was he _really _proposing to her? This wasn't simply…a dream? She had waited so long for this moment, and yet, now that it was here, she was speechless. Kaoru's heart beat quickly. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine the feeling would be as wonderful as this. It was…overwhelming. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

"…Kaoru?"

Slowly, she gathered herself together. "Oh, Kenshin…I am so happy that we met…I love you equally as much. Yes, I will marry you."

Relief washed over him. Kenshin nodded and stood up. He took her delicate finger and slipped the ring through, and after kissed her hand tenderly. "Then we will be married."

She blushed at the thought and kissed him on the lips. "But—Kenshin, where did you get the money to buy this?" She looked at the ring.

Kenshin wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I kept some of the money that was given to me from the police, just for this purpose. Do you remember?"

Her arms crawled around his neck. "Yes, I remember. All this time…just for me?"

"Well," He said slowly, "I plan on repaying it eventually. But for now, you have your nice ring, that you do."

"Yes…" She smiled. "Thank you, Kenshin."

He sighed peacefully. "You're welcome. Although, to be honest, I had a little help in some areas…"

~~~***~~~

Earlier in the week…

Kenshin walked with Sano and Megumi into town. The two men had been sent to buy the groceries, but Megumi was window shopping. After keeping her eye on a few different kimonos (very expensive!) she gave a shriek and ran forward to the window ahead. The other two hesitantly followed.

"Look!" Megumi cried in delight. She pointed in the window—inside was a display of shiny rings, with various jewels in them.

Sano scoffed. "Women and their jewelry! Big deal, they're just a bunch of useless rings."

Megumi gave him an icy stare. "Baka! Don't you know what these are!?!? They have a _special _meaning!"

He turned from her, hurt, but uncaring. Kenshin politely asked, "What are these for, Megumi?"

Her eyes shined at his question. "They are called engagement rings. It is a western custom. If a man wants to propose marriage to a woman, he will get down on one knee and present the ring to her, and ask the question. If she accepts, the ma slips it on her finger, and they will be wed. It represents their strong bond for each other." Her eyes sparkled. "Oh, how I wish that would happen to me!" She pressed her face against the glass, silently selecting a pretty sapphire one for the future.

"A woman would…like one of those?"

She comprehended who he had in mind. "Yes. Any woman would want a man to give her one of these, I am sure."

He nodded, then asked, "How much do they cost?"

Sano looked at him questioningly. "They cost a lot, Kenshin! Woman always want you to buy the most expensive things for them." Megumi ignored this and continued to look inside.

"Well, I have some money saved…do you think it would be enough?"

They both stared at him. "Kenshin…?" Megumi tore her glance from the window and looked at him. "Do you want to…buy one?"

"Hai."

"Kenshin, you don't have that type of money." Sano said, surprised.

"Yes, I do…I saved some from what the police gave to me. I think I'll go back to the dojo and get it, that I will." The two gaped at him, and slowly followed.

That day, Kenshin secretly gathered his money hidden in the dojo and bought an engagement ring. He left Sano and Megumi to distract Kaoru and Yahiko so the purchase could be made smoothly. It was later decided that a good finishing touch would be an engagement party on the date Kenshin would propose. He gladly gave up the rest of his saved money for this event, and finally everything was prepared.

~~~***~~~

"And that's what happened." Kenshin finished.

She looked into his eyes with surprise. "You would do all that…for me?"

He brushed his lips against her neck. "There is nothing I can do that would show how much I love you." He looked at her. "But I can try."

Kaoru became dazed from what she was hearing. Wasn't this the type of man that every girl dreams of? Her thoughts whirled around too quickly, and her body suddenly became heavier. She felt faint, and collapsed forward in his arms.

His eyes widened. "Kaoru…? Kaoru? What's the matter? Did I do something wrong?" He held her steady with protective arms.

She sighed. "Kenshin…you are too good for me."

"Oh." He chuckled. "Kaoru…you put up with so much…thank you for saying yes." She smiled, and took his hand. They walked back to the dojo, with Kenshin fingering her new ring happily.

~~~***~~~

When they came back, they saw the whole gang waiting for them—Sano, Yahiko, Megumi, Genzai, his granddaughters, and the Akabeko women. They passed them, hearing shreds of their conversations.

"Look how clean the dojo is…*sigh* I wish _I _had a few strong men to clean the house for me!"

"What a nice party this will be! Lovely food!"

"Ah! Here comes Kenshin and Kaoru! (I wonder where _they _went to?)"

"Must…resist…eating…food…"

"No, Suzume, you can't go play outside now. We're about to eat, after all."

"Say…what's that on Kaoru's hand over there? Something's glinting in the sun…"

They sat down to eat, but Kenshin remained standing. He cleared his throat, and everyone fell silent. "Everybody," he began, "I have an announcement I would like to make." They smiled, and he continued. "Kaoru and I…are going to be married." Kaoru blushed and held up her ring.

A mixed reaction came from the guests. The Akabeko women shrieked with joy and immediately congratulated them. Genzai assured the two he had a slight suspicion all along. Sano and Megumi politely expressed their happiness over it, but obviously they held no surprise. Meanwhile, Yahiko, who had already snatched a few rolls from one of the plates, started to choke slightly at the news. Sano chuckled at the kid, and reached over to whack him on the other side of his head. He sputtered for a bit, then looked at Kenshin, and at Kaoru, and finally muttered his surprised congratulations.

"Poor baka…" Kaoru whispered. The woman at the table giggled.

Kenshin wasn't used to being to center of attention, so he sat down again, and everyone started eating. They talked about various things, such as where the wedding should be, if this meant that Kenshin would _finally _get a job, and even what their kids might look like. The two blushed at all these questions, and their answers were to simply look at each other and whisper thoughts on these. Eventually, as the night wore on, Sano and Megumi together presented a bottle of wine which they had bought earlier, and everyone toasted to the happy couple. The first to leave was Genzai, as his granddaughters were getting sleepy. Next were the Akabeko women. They said their warm goodbyes, but reminded everyone that they had a restaurant to run. Finally, Megumi stood up to leave, and was accompanied with Sano for the walk home ("No lady _I _know is going to be walking home late at night all by herself!" He had said firmly. Megumi giggled and they went away).

All that was left was Yahiko and the newly-public couple. He stared at them with a dazed look on his face, then slowly got up and went into the direction of his room without saying a word.

"Poor kid's in shock." Kaoru said to him after he left.

Kenshin chuckled and put his arm around her casually. "What would I do without you, Kaoru?"

"Well, we wouldn't be getting married, that's for sure." She giggled, and noticed Kenshin had a sudden flash of amber in his eyes. They quickly walked away.

Alrighty, done with this chappy. I hope you guys liked it—that wasn't easy to write! Review! Arigato! Ja ne!!! ^_____^


	13. The Planning

Hi everyone, Vira's here! ^___^ Thankie for all the wonderful reviews! Luff you all!!! A/n:

1) What a surprise, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

2) This chappy has been majorly edited, towards the end, for lemons…see my website for the full version please.

That's all! Story time! ^_^

~~~***~~~

The date was decided to be on May 10th, when most of the Sakura trees were in full bloom. The ladies were scurrying around, making all the plans, hurrying to prepare everything in time. The couple insisted they didn't want anything too big, especially because they had no huge amounts of money. The Akabeko women assured everyone the food would be provided, and after meeting with the flower woman one more time, she happy agreed to give them a wonderful bouquet (for Kaoru) and a few tulips that would form an aisle, since it would be outside. Kenshin and Kaoru didn't actually make most of the decisions—they didn't exactly know what they were doing or how a wedding should be planned. Everything was in a light haze—the days whirled by quickly for them. In the beginning they had assumed the wedding would consist of all their friends being there and the ceremony would take place. That was it. Gradually, though, they soon realized how much effort planning this event would really take.

One day, Kaoru and Megumi went to look for a nice wedding kimono. They had spent the last three days looking for some proper chairs guests could sit in, and finally put that on hold for a little bit. For this item they had to travel to another town, which sold them. Kaoru didn't really care that much—she did, however, remember her dreams as a little child about someday wearing a magnificent and beautiful kimono that would capture a husband for her. Perhaps today she would find it. Megumi was much more enthusiastic than her, and considered this little excursion as practice for her own time. As an expert shopper she immediately flew to the proper store and dragged Kaoru along with her.

"Now remember, Megumi…" Kaoru said as they went through many kimonos. "Nothing too expensive."

"Hai, hai. Of course." She dug her way through the masses of clothes. "Well, if you're going to be riding in a rickshaw through a shrine, we'll have to find a kimono that is lightweight…"

"A rickshaw! _Goodness! _I never _thought _about that! Do you think we'll need one?"

"All proper weddings have one!" (A/N – A Japanese 'rickshaw' is the modern day equivalent to the traditional car that has 'just married' on the back, only it's a cart instead ^___^  )

"Oh…but…I don't really—we can't afford one, Megumi…"

"Feh! You cannot afford anything! What's the point of a wedding ceremony if you don't have anything to spend on it?"

"Well, I-"

"Ah!" Her hand leaped out and grabbed one. "Thanks to modern industrialization, we don't have to get you all tailored up. I think this one will fit you nicely."

"Th-thanks…I'll try it on…"

"Good girl. By the way, have you decided what shrine to have it in?"

Kaoru looked at her. "No, we're still…working on the details…but we hope to have it in a local one, close to home."

Megumi nodded in understanding, and the two walked away to look at their find more.

~~~***~~~

"Do I have to wear…_that!?!?_"

"Yes, Yahiko, it's part of the marriage tradition…"

"But…but…!"

"Look, just try it on, kiddo. Pfft, not like it's going to kill you or anything."

"Ugh…"

"Try it _ON!"_ Sano waved a fist at him.

"IT'S UGLY!"

He was about to lunge at the boy, but a voice inside his head told him to take it easy. Here, anyways. "Yahiko, Megumi told us before she and Kaoru left that we need to try on these wedding clothes before they come back! They'll be here by the end of the day!"

"Who cares about Megumi!? I-" But before Yahiko could finish his sentence, Sano was up in his face. "WE'RE. GOING. TO. TRY. THESE. ON. TODAY!"  He waved his fist again at him. "…Get it, kid?"

The boy gulped, and knew he struck a nerve, somehow. However, his spirit still did not diminish. "Well…well, then why aren't _you _trying them on?"

The older man straightened up. "Because…I want to see how you'll look in them first."

"LIAR! You don't want to wear these either!!"

Although he hated to admit it, this was the one thing Sano just couldn't deny.

"…SEE!?"

"Look…just try them on…okay?"

"Only if you do!"

He grumbled. "_Okay_…only for a second, though. We just need to make sure they fit."

"And if we say no, do you think we can find our own clothes?"

"Pfft, with Megumi in the picture? No…"

They sighed in unison, and went to change.

~~~***~~~

Kenshin walked in the dojo. He had spent a long day figuring out various things for the wedding, such as any decorations, the type of food that would be served, and even what kind of music should be played. Wearily, he trudged inside, where he met the two men wearing their wedding attire.

"Oro? Is that the outfit Megumi picked out for you?"

"Yes." Sano said quickly.

"And she expects us to be seen in PUBLIC with these clothes!?"

Kenshin could not help but silently agree that they _were_ pretty bad. "I am not really familiar with proper wedding attire, that I am not. I did not know this is what they're supposed to look like…"  
"…Unless this whole thing is inside-out…but who'd know the difference?"

They chuckled, and sat down, exhausted from the day.

"I had no _idea _that wedding preparations took so much effort." Kenshin said with a slight hint of despair.

"At least you're not going to have a nakodo…" Sano looked at him. "Or are you?"

Kenshin thought for a second. "Well, neither of us has any relatives around here, so…no."

"Heh…probably for the best, I imagine."

Yahiko laid back with his hands folded under his head, suddenly oblivious of the hideous attire he was wearing. "So, Kenshin…are we going to have any little Kenshin's and Kaoru's running around here?" He chuckled.

"Nani!?"

"Yeah, Kenshin…" Sano chimed in, laughing. "Are we gonna have little rurounis and dojo trainers to look after?"

"Oro? Well…I-I…"

"Let's name one Yahiko, after me!"

"I don't…"

"But what if they only have girls?"

"Er-"

"Well then, I guess they'll just have to name them something else."

Kenshin became silent as they thought of different names. He never really considered that possibility…though, now that he thought about it, having a child or two would be nice. If it was the same as playing with Genzai's granddaughters outside the dojo, well then, he wouldn't mind it at all.

"Hey, I think I hear something…hmm, it's probably the girls. Guess they've come back." Sano stood up and went in another room to quickly change back to his regular clothes. Yahiko swiftly followed.

~~~***~~~

"Tadaima!" Kaoru walked into the home. "Is everything under control? The dojo didn't burn down, I see…" She giggled and walked over to a seat.

Megumi followed, sighing. "Ah, so much fun it was…I wish _I _was having a wedding…"

Kenshin scooted closer to Kaoru. "Okaeri nasai! How did the shopping go?"

"Well…" Kaoru thought for a minute. "We found a nice wedding kimono! And some nice shoes, see?" She held them up to him.

"They're very pretty."

She smiled and said, "And what about you? Have you tried your clothes on yet?"

"Oro? Oh—well I…"

"Yes!" Megumi stood up. "Where are those two!? I asked them to try their outfits on as well…" She ran out of the room to go look for them.

"Heh, she'll have trouble finding them, I'll bet. From what I heard them say four days ago they didn't really appreciate the clothes she gave them!"

"They aren't too fond of them, that they are not…"

"Well, I just hope you like yours, Kenshin. I picked it out, not Megumi!"

"I'm sure whatever you decided will be lovely." Kenshin looked out the window to the side.

Kaoru leaned her head against his shoulder slightly and smiled. "Just think, soon, we'll be married, Kenshin! Won't that be wonderful?"

"Hai…"

"Husband and wife…together forever…"

He remained silent. Kaoru lifter her head and looked at his face. "…Kenshin?"

He turned to her. "…Gomen…Kaoru, I am…nervous…"

She laughed. "Whatever about?"

"I don't like being the center of attention, Kaoru."

She laughed again and reached over to squeeze his hand. "One of the greatest fighters in all of Japan…nervous of a wedding?" Her smile faded. "But I know what you mean, because I don't like being it either. Sometimes I think all—this—is a little…much."

"In the beginning, I thought everything would be so simple…I didn't think so much planning was required!"

Kaoru touched his cheek gently. He looked at her. That was all she needed. "Kenshin…"

"I know, Kaoru…I know." He put his arm around her and held her close.

"It'll all be worth it."

"I missed you, Kaoru." His eyes flashed amber. They walked away.

~~~***~~~

"Oh, _THERE _you are!" Megumi saw the two men from afar and ran up to them. "Well? Did the clothes fit nicely?"

They turned to her, grumbling. "They fit…fine." Sano murmured.

Yahiko was a bit braver. "Megumi, I don't think…I like them very much."

But she didn't hear him. "Terrific! Well, that settles things. You can wear them to the wedding."

"Um, Megumi…" Sano started.

"Not now, Sano! I need to go home! It's been a long day!" And with that, she left.

The two looked at each other. "It's hopeless…" Yahiko sighed. "I guess we have no choice."

"Yeah." Sano said flatly. They retreated back to the dojo.

~~~***~~~

The couple walked solemnly to a field with cool grass near the dojo and sat down. Kenshin rested his head on her lap and she began stroking his hair affectionately. After sitting there in silence for a minute, Kenshin asked, "…Kaoru?"

"Yes, Kenshin?" She rubbed his shoulders gently.

"Kaoru, do you think we'll have any children?"

She gasped. "Nani!? Children!?"

"Hai."

She thought for a second. "…Well, I…I never thought about it, really…" She smiled. "I suppose…if a child or two happens to come along the way during our marriage, well…then I guess we will!" 'Kenshin would make a good father, I am sure of it. The question is, would I make a good mother?'

He read her mind. "Kaoru, there is no one else I would want to be the mother of my children than you. Arigato."

She moved from rubbing his shoulders to kneading his chest. There were many tightened muscles.

"…You are tired…"

The glow in his eyes grew brighter.

"Did you have a long day?"

"Kaoru…" He whispered.

Her hands traveled down to his stomach. She caressed the surrounding skin gently. "If the planning is too much for you…just tell me. I'm sure I can fix it." She whispered into his ear, winking.

His eyes grew brighter. "Kaoru, I'm becoming…you're making me…I haven't seen you in three days…"

Once again her hands moved down his body. "I know. Just let me, please?" 

"The Battousai only does what _he _pleases, not what _you _please. Are you sure?"

She smiled. "I'm sure."

He turned around, swiftly as lightning, and began kissing her. At first they were soft, gentle, loving kisses. He nuzzled his tongue against hers. Gradually, though, they became more and more passionate. He began to growl, and that was when Kaoru knew she had him. She had not seen the Battousai side of him in a long time…tonight would be perfect.

Kenshin struggled to let her have control, but it was hard. He ran his fingers through her hair instead of caressing Kaoru's soft skin, but that didn't help him master his emotions much. With every touch from her, his eyes grew brighter. He wanted Kaoru to have her way.

"You're so warm…" She said softly. He growled and moved closer to her. He didn't think he could control himself.

After it was over they laid next to one another for a few minutes. Kenshin looked over to her lovingly.

"Kaoru…Arigato. I love you."

She smiled. "I love you too." Kenshin picked her up softly (Kaoru began by saying she could walk back just fine, but his insistence was stronger). They traveled back to the dojo for some sleep…together.

….=D Ahh, don't you just LUFF Yahiko and Sano? Lol…well, thanks for taking your time to read this. The editing was kinda bad…uh…oh well. Review please!! BYE!!! ^____^


	14. The Ceremony

Hi everyone, it's Vira!! I've been very very busy, but I still managed to squeeze a chappy update in:

1) Nope, don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Same as last time, heh heh.

2) Hope everyone had a nice holiday!!!

3) Get ready for some MAJOR fluffiness!! ^___^

And now, here it is:

~~~***~~~

"Kenshin, are you ready?"

He gulped. "I…I don't know, Sano."

The man next to him gave a deep laugh. "Well it'll all be done with soon enough. At least your outfit looks fairly decent."

The date was May 10th, and the wedding hour had finally arrived. Kenshin had not yet seen Kaoru all day, since she had heard of a western tradition that a man cannot see his bride until the ceremony begins. If she _were _here, though, he knew Kaoru would calm him down somehow.

"…Nervous?" Sano asked casually.

The rurouni laughed a little. "Wouldn't you be?"

He ignored this question. "If you're sure of your decision, then there's nothing to worry about, right?"

Kenshin laughed more. "And…you would know, Sano? It's different on this end…"

"Yeah…yeah, I suppose it is."

They continued to ride in the cart in silence. It had gone through the dojo, then pass the fields, the hills, the woods, and the town. They could've easily walked, but Kaoru had insisted Kenshin's wedding clothes were not to be walked upon in the streets. He wondered what else she had in store for him. Finally they reached the temple. Outside it were all the people they had invited, and once they saw Kenshin jump out they gave a joyful cheer and all crowded around him. Kenshin started sweating nervously, but thankfully Sano had rushed to the scene.

"Okay, okay everyone…you can congratulate him _after _the ceremony takes place…let's move on now…You wanna get good seats, don't you?" He pushed Kenshin through the group and into the building.

"Th-thank you, Sano…" He stuttered once they were out of anyone's view.

"No problem." He looked around. "I've gotta go. I promised Megumi I would sit by her…" He turned his glaze back at Kenshin. "If you need anything—a personal body guard? I'll be ready for it."

Despite his state of mind, Kenshin chuckled a little. "Onegai, Sano." The two men bowed, and he walked away. After a moment, Kenshin took a nearby cloth and held it to his forehead. 'No.' He thought. 'I can't become nervous now. Kaoru wants me to do this, so I will.' In the back of his mind, Kenshin knew that didn't help very much. Outside the room he could hear voices getting stronger and stronger—people must've been starting to come in. Suddenly, he saw an image of Kaoru in his mind. She was smiling kindly at him, and held her hand up with her engagement ring, showing it to him. It was a perfect fit…he stood up, nodding his head. That was all he needed. Kenshin walked out of the room and amidst all the people.

~~~***~~~

"…Can you fix it, Megumi?"

"Hold still, dear…well, it's just a little rip. I'm sure no one will notice."

"It doesn't…reveal anything?"

"Well, er, no…but now that I think about it, we had better patch it up before it gets any bigger."

Kaoru sighed. This, she supposed, would teach her from buying anything with Megumi's consent. Modern industrialization indeed! Why, her kimono could've been ten times better if it was hand-made.

Of course, that would require more money.

"Alright, I found a needle and some thread. Although…the thread isn't the exact color, but I'm sure nobody will say anything about it. Now…" Kaoru saw her begin to mend something at her side, and she sighed again.

"Almost…there." Megumi stood up. "Good as new!"

"Megumi…" Kaoru said slowly. "Have you…seen Kenshin at all today?"

She looked at her. "Why, no! I left with you early in the morning, don't you remember?" She paused to stand back and look at her finished work. "…Why?"

Kaoru looked out a nearby window and smiled in remembrance. "Oh, it's nothing really. It's just that, he's been really nervous lately. I hope Kenshin's okay."

Megumi glanced at her. "And…are you?"

"A little." She admitted.

"Well there's nothing you can do about _that _now." Megumi, Kaoru realized, wasn't one for dishing out advice. She straightened out any wrinkles in the kimono, and told her to get everyone in their places.

~~~***~~~

The rest of the morning was a blur.

Suddenly, everyone became quiet. There stood Kaoru, in her wedding kimono. Kenshin's breath was taken away at the sight of her loveliness, and he mouthed to her 'You look…incredible.' She smiled, replying 'so do you.'

The ceremony had begun. They insisted on saying their own vows. "Kenshin, I think we had experienced love at first sight…my feelings for you have not changed since the instant we met…" "Kaoru, I swear my infinite love to you. I will try to fulfill the duties of being a husband as best as I can…" "I love you, and will always love you. I will take care of you as a wife, forever." "I will stay by your side for all eternity."

They bowed to the Buddha statue in front of them. There was a happy murmur throughout the crowd.

Kaoru looked at him with soft eyes. This was the happiest moment of her life. He was all she ever wanted in a husband—his gentle smile, his strong samurai will, his protection over her, his eternal kindness…the list was endless. "Kenshin…" She whispered so slightly no one could hear her but him.

Kenshin watched her with a new love he had never quite felt yet. She had called his name—it was time for the ceremony to end. "Kaoru…" He whispered.

"I love you." They replied to each other in unison. Together, Kenshin and Kaoru moved closer and sealed their new bond with a strong kiss. After a moment, Kaoru blushed slightly, and nodded her head towards the crowd. Kenshin, who had temporarily forgotten they were watching, released her lips blushingly. They turned back to everyone and smiled. The audience bowed, and the couple took each other's hand and walked back down. The crowd stood up and clapped their hands as they went past. The ceremony was completed, and gradually people made their way outside.

~~~***~~~

The newlywed couple was only alone for three seconds before everyone crowded around them. Shyly, Kenshin muttered his thanks when congratulated upon and shook several foreign hands. Kaoru hung onto him for dear life as the space between her and everyone gradually decreased. She smiled crazily. Spiky hair could be seen forcing its way through, and finally Sano emerged from the masses of people, saying "Alright everyone, alright…let them breathe…no need to talk to them now…you'll get a chance at the party…" He brushed some aside to make a pathway for them, which they eagerly took. With some navigation Kenshin and Kaoru waved to the crowd one last time, then went inside their rickshaw.

Immediately after the door was closed they both breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Kaoru scooted over to her husband and rested her head against his shoulder. "That wasn't too bad."

He thought for a minute. "…No, I guess not…" Kenshin looked at her. "It was worth it." The cart jolted forward, catching them by surprise. He quickly put his arm on Kaoru's opposite shoulder to keep her steady. "…Kaoru, where are we going, exactly?"

She smiled. "Back to the dojo, where the party is."

His eyes flashed amber for a second. "Good. Just enough time, then."

She looked at him suspiciously. "…Kenshin?"

He chuckled and pulled her closer, raining gentle kisses upon her face. She giggled and crept her arm around his neck.

They traveled on.

~~~***~~~

To their surprise, when they arrived back at the dojo (they had quickly decided to take the scenic route) everyone was patiently sitting in their seats, dancing, or talking quietly. They held hands and made their way to the front, where they sat down to a prepared meal. 'Sano,' Kenshin thought, 'Must've whipped everyone into shape.' He saw the tall man at the other end and smiled.

Once Kenshin and Kaoru picked up their chopsticks, everyone else did the same, and the meal began. Thanks to the Akabeko women, there was plenty of wonderful food. Everybody present ate and chattered happily. After about thirty minutes of eating, the couple went their separate ways around the place in order to talk to as many people as possible.

Sometime later, Kaoru walked over to Megumi. "How did I do?" She asked.

"The ceremony was wonderful." Megumi said proudly. "And you two are such a wonderful couple." She added.

"Thank you. Kenshin was a bit nervous at first, but I think he got over it."

"Yes, I noticed it too. I'm glad everything worked out fine…"

Kenshin strolled over to Sano. "Arigato! You sure helped out a lot with everything."

"Ahh, it was nothing. In fact…" He cracked his knuckles. "I enjoyed it!"

They chuckled together. "Well, I don't think I could've done it without you." He bowed.

Sano smiled, his ego shining through. "Yeah well…" He turned and looked to the side. "Say, it looks as though the musicians are getting ready to play, Kenshin. I better find Megumi…I told her I would be her dance partner for tonight." He blushed.

Kenshin chuckled. "I see. Then I must look for my wife."

"She's talking to Megumi, we can go together…"

The ladies continued to chat pleasantly. "I think that kimono suited you perfectly after all."

"Hai, I think you're right. It's wonderful. Thank you for helping me find one…"

"I'm glad it didn't tear any more!…Say, look who's coming over here..." The ladies turned to see their dance partners approach. Megumi smiled at Sano and they walked away.

"Megumi…I…" Sano fumbled.

"…Yes?"

"I'm…er, well……I mean……I've never actually…danced……before."

She giggled. "That's too bad. Well then, I'll just have to teach you!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the rest of the couples. Kaoru watched them leave in amusement, then looked to see Kenshin coming over. He smiled a rurouni smile and extended his hand shyly. She beamed and delicately slipped her fingers into his. He kissed it gently, and together they strolled over to the other dancing couples. Immediately everyone made room for them, in all smiles. Neither of them knew quite what to do, so they mimicked everyone else. Kenshin warmly wrapped one arm around Kaoru's waist and held her hand with the other. Kaoru moved an arm softly over his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. After that, they seemed to forget anyone else was there. Everybody beamed at the happy couple.

After a few moments, Kenshin whispered to Kaoru, "I would not trade places with anyone in the world. You are so…lovely. It's hard to withstand…"

Faint tears could be felt in her eyes, welling up. "This is the happiest day of my life. Thank you so much…I do not deserve this, I know."

He reached around and caressed the hair away from her face. "Kaoru, you beauty seems to know no bounds. He smiled.

The dance continued.

~~~***~~~

The hours had passed, and many of the guests went home. The couple was sitting on the chairs provided, a bit tired from all the dancing, when a man approached them.

"Hello, I presume you two are the married couple, correct…?"

Kaoru looked at him. She did not recognize his face. "Yes, we are."

"Good. I've been hired by…" He looked at a piece of paper. "A lady called Megumi? Do you know where I could find her?"

Coincidentally, Megumi came out of the dojo just then, busy putting away various things. Suddenly, she saw him, and ran forward with a happy shriek.

"Ah, _there _you are! Welcome! Welcome!"

Puzzled, Kenshin asked "Megumi, er…just who _is _this gentleman…?"

"He's a photographer. I asked him if he would take a few wedding photos, and he agreed." She said in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Right you are." The man nodded. He looked around for a moment. "Do you…um, have a garden?"

They shook their head.

"A pity, most wedding pictures are taken in one." He shrugged. "Oh well…we can improvise, right?" Suddenly, he grabbed both Kenshin's and Kaoru's hands and pulled them away. "Come! We will find a spot!"

"Er-er-well, I suppose that would be fine…right Kenshin?"

"Oro!?"

The man dragged the two away from the dojo and began to look wildly around. "Ah HA!" He cried, and ran forward again.

"What? What is it!?"

"I have found it!" He pushed the two forward into the sakura tree field and nodded satisfactorily. In a blur, the photographer placed them in a perfect spot behind one of the trees, matted down their hair, found a nice angle, and quickly beat out any dust in their clothes in seconds. "SMILE!" He said happily as he waved frantically to them.

"Oro…" Kenshin shook the dazed look off his face.

"What? Where? How'd we…?" Kaoru looked around and quickly smiled, not knowing why or where.

The camera snapped. "PERFECT! All done!" Immediately the man began to pack up his things.

"Hey! But wait, aren't you going to take some more?"

"Nope nope nope nope." He said quickly. "These things take a long time to develop! I'm afraid it'll cost extra."

Meanwhile, Kenshin began to stagger forward, continuing his 'oros.'

"…What wrong with him!?" Kaoru asked.

"Some people take a longer time to recover from the light bulb flash than others! Heh heh heh." And with that, he sped away.

Kaoru turned back to her husband and helped him stand on his feet. "Kenshin…are you okay?"

He reached up to rub his eyes. "Oro…"

She smiled—after all, this clumsy rurouni was the man she loved.

Ahhh, what a cute couple…well, happy holidays everyone, I'm sure a lot of you are going to be too busy to read this, and that's okay. For those of you that CAN, review please, and I'll see ya later!!


	15. The Honeymoon

Ahh, I'm in a bit of a hurry here, so I'll make this update quick:

1) Nope, don't own Rurouni Kenshin. And I never will!!!

2) I have started a new fanfiction. Do we have any Inuyasha fans in here…? ^___^ Well, if you are one and you like this story you should check it out. It's a Sesshoumaru and Kagome pairing.

~~~***~~~

They had slept a long time that night, exhausted from all the happenings the day before. Despite how tired the two were, they still managed to express their love in their futon hours ago. They awoke at the same time with smiles on their faces. Today they were man and wife, something both had thought would never, ever happen. After a sluggish hug, they laid together for a few minutes in silence.

"I can't believe it…" Kenshin said slowly. "Kaoru, you're my wife now…you realize that?"

"And you're my husband." She replied, snuggling even tighter next to him. His lips were barely a hair away from hers. She moved closer and caressed his lips gently. "From this day on, forever and ever."

He sighed pleasantly at the concept. "Kaoru," Kenshin whispered quietly to her, "We still need to go on our honeymoon, hai?"

She giggled. "Kenshin, we don't have enough money for _that._"

"Then we can have our own honeymoon right here, Mrs. Himura." Kenshin chuckled and ensnared her body into his loving arms. Playfully she tried to pull away, but he would not let her. In the end she gave up, and turned around to give him a quick kiss, which unintentionally turned passionate.

They got out of the futon an hour more than expected.

~~~***~~~

When they finally went for breakfast they saw Sano, Yahiko, and Megumi eating quietly. The three stood up and bowed at the new couple with happiness, then chatted happily about a variety of subjects. After a good meal, Kenshin got up to leave. Curious, Kaoru followed.

They stopped at the gate together. "Kenshin, where are you going…?"

"You don't need to worry Kaoru, that you don't." He smiled. "I'm just going to take short walk into town."

She was still curious, but she trusted him. "Okay." She gave him a gentle hug. Be back soon!"

Like a snake, Kenshin dove for her mouth. This caught her off guard a little, but since she was already so securely wrapped in his arms there was no chance of escape (not that she wanted to).

They broke away as quickly as they came together. "…Arigato, Kaoru." Kenshin smiled softly. She looked at him wide-eyed and nodded slowly. He turned and left.

~~~***~~~

Kaoru walked back into the dojo and began to sweep the floor slowly. Soon after Megumi came out and sat down. She was busy sewing something for a few minutes, then said "Kaoru, only a day has passed since your wedding and already you act as a housewife?"

She paused her brushing and looked at her. "That is what I am. What else is there for me to do?"

Megumi chuckled. "For too long you have been cooped up in this dojo. The both of you should take a vacation."

"Nani? We have nowhere to go, and we have no money."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself. Don't blame me, though, if later you complain you never go anywhere."

At this point Kaoru became slightly annoyed, and so she picked up her broom and moved somewhere else. After sweeping some more in anger, she sighed heavily and sat down. She was allowed to dream, wasn't she? Kaoru pictured all the different places they could go. Kenshin could take her to China with their excellent food. Or maybe even to London--Kaoru had heard about all the shops residing there. Or maybe, just maybe, into America. Perhaps Hawaii's beaches. She smiled at the thought. She had always wanted to travel out of Japan. All of her life she lived in this tiny dojo--unlike her husband, the wanderer, who in the past has moved all over the country. Kaoru gasped and quickly shook these thoughts out of her head. Kenshin was the least selfish man she knew, and it he could, he would take her somewhere. They just happened to have no money. She could get creative, couldn't she? They could have their own vacation right here in the dojo! Kaoru chuckled and began making plans.

~~~***~~~

"Kaoru, I'm home." Kenshin said to her as he walked in the room. What was she doing in here, the kitchen, cooking lunch? He had been looking for Kaoru for awhile around the dojo and was not expecting to find her here.

"Hello, Kenshin!" She said happily.

He approached her and wrapped his hands around Kaoru's waist. "What are you doing in here cooking? Lunchtime has not quite arrived..."

"Oh, well..." She stopped cutting and looked at him. "You're not hungry after your journey into town, not even a little?" Her eyes turned poutful.

"Oro!" He quickly nodded his head. "Gomen, of course I am."

"Well alright then. Sit down!"

He obeyed, and soon they were eating a meal together.

"…Kaoru?"

She looked up from her plate. "Yes Kenshin?"

"Oro…why are you eating too?"

"Husband and wife should eat together!"

"Ah."

Kaoru poured their drinks then said, "So Kenshin, where did you go today in town?"

"I went to the police station. I was offered a job, Kaoru. I figured since I'm a married man now…well, it'd be nice if I could start to help out around here more, right?"

Kaoru thought for a minute. "Kenshin, you didn't have to do that-"

"-I don't mind, Kaoru."

"Well, I don't care if you're the richest man in all of Japan or the poorest. As long as you are still you, right?"

Kenshin chuckled. "You don't need to worry about _that, _Kaoru."

She smiled. "So…what is it that you will be doing, exactly?"

"The position is only temporary, however the pay is substantial—two months from now I must leave for approximately one month and a half in order to watch over a mansion where several officials from the government will be residing in order to discuss a few things. All in all, it won't be too hard." He looked at her. "Kaoru, if you disapprove at all…if there's anything about it you don't like…I can easily remove my position…"

"I don't disapprove at all, Kenshin."

He looked at her. "Are you…certain? I should have asked you before I went, I know that now…"

She smiled. "Well then…that just means we'll have to take care of a few more—things…before you leave!"

He gave her a questioning look. "Nani? What do you mean…?" Was she up to something again?

"You'll see, Kenshin. Are you done with your plate?" She smiled again sweetly and stood up.

Before she could do anything though, a pair of arms reeled Kaoru in and held her captive. "Hmm…you _are_ you to something, aren't you?"

Kaoru giggled and sat in his lap. "…Now why would you think _that, _Kenshin?"

"I see I'm not the only one with secrets…"

She purred, but said nothing. Kenshin sighed, knowing he would get no answer out of her. Hesitantly, the arms released her. Kaoru giggled and walked into the kitchen again.

~~~***~~~

The majority of the rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Everyone ate supper, then went their separate ways. After Yahiko finished training with Kaoru he went to bed a little earlier than most days. In contrast, Sano went out for a stroll to 'visit his gambling buddies' (Which Kenshin found extremely odd, especially because he was going in the opposite direction of where he normally went—that is to say, he was headed in the direction the doctors resided). Kenshin was left to his own speculations in the matter.

~~~***~~~

_Yahiko had a strange dream. He was strolling casually around the dojo like he did every day. Then, without warning, a hundred Kaorus appeared out of nowhere and started beating him with her training weapon like she always used to whenever she was annoyed with him. Only instead, they were his size, and some of them had reddish hair. Frantically Yahiko put his hands over his head to avoid a direct hit from some of the blows and ran away as fast as he could._

~~~***~~~

Kenshin was left all by himself in the dojo.

"…Kaoru?" He didn't know where she went. After her training Kaoru would normally come inside for some water and to change back into her regular clothes…where did she go? Kenshin looked all around the dojo for her with no luck, so he began to search outside.

"Kaoru? Where are you…Kaoru?" Kenshin paused. Did he hear something in the distance? Curious and worried, Kenshin quickly walked to place he heard the noise.

As he approached, he heard a voice say, "Over here, Kenshin. I'm over here…" When he walked past the final trees, he saw his wife sitting coolly in an artificial hot spring. "I'm glad you could make it." She giggled.

"Kaoru, where did you get…this?"

She smiled. "They're not that expensive, really…all they provide, after all, is the heating system. Now…come in here." She motioned for him to sit down. Kenshin obeyed, slightly confused.

"Kaoru-"

"Shhh…" She pressed a finger against his lips. "We're on our honeymoon after all, hmm?" Her hand crept around his neck gently and pulled Kenshin closer.

Aww…well that's all for now! There's still more to come! R&R PLS!!! Arigato, ja ne!! ^_^


	16. The Vacation

Update! A/N:

1) This chappy has a lemon. Please go to my site for the unedited version.

2) I don't own Rurouni Kenshin!!! *sniffle*

3) I have a new MSN IM screename: hanashichiban@hotmail.com. Hope to hear from some of you!!!

Enjoy the story:

~~~***~~~

A week later, the two went on a real honeymoon. It had happened by accident…

Kenshin was walking along the streets quietly. His original intent was to buy some food like usual. However, trouble seemed to travel with him. Kenshin walked past a cart that was being robbed and knew something needed to be done.

"P-Please! Just take my money already! Just don't hurt my wife!"

The gang laughed and continued to search around in the cart. "I don't know…she'd make a pretty nice trophy!" Kenshin angrily slammed into the one who said that and reached for his weapon. The men stared at him.

"Look! A cross-shaped scar on his cheek!"

"Can it really be _him?_"

"It's the Battousai!"

"What's _he _doing here!?"

One of the gang members stepped forth. "You morons! Can't you see he's just an impersonator of the Battousai!?" He turned to Kenshin. "Well, it won't work on me! C'mon boys, let's get 'em!"

Needless to say, Kenshin had soon made short work of them. As they ran away in fear, the man stepped out of the cart and thanked him profoundly. "Arigato! Thank you _so _much! I don't know WHAT we would've done if it weren't for you!"

Kenshin put his hand behind his head and smiled kindly. He looked at the gentleman, and realized he must've been really rich, judging from his clothes.

"Here, let me pay you something. It will be my thanks…"

Kenshin shook his head. "Oh no, sir, that's really not necessary-"

"Ahh, but I insist! It's no trouble at all."

He nodded politely. "Er, really, it's not-"

"Here you go!" The man handed him some bills. Thanks for everything!" He hopped back onto the cart. "Goodbye, stranger!" they rode away.

Kenshin stared at the money. "Oro! Th-that's quite an amount! He must be really, really rich." He thought to himself. "Well, Kaoru will certainly be pleased when I bring back more than just the groceries!"

~~~***~~~

"Oh wow!" Kenshin told her what happened. "Goodness!"

"Yes, I could hardly believe it either."

Kaoru smiled. "Well, you know what THIS means, right Kenshin?"

He looked at her. "Um…no?"

She sighed. "We can go somewhere together! Just the two of us!"

"Oro!"

Yahiko happened to wander in at this exact moment. "HEY!" He looked at the money. "Where'd you guys get _that?_"

Kaoru stiffened. "This, young man, just happens to be the reward a man gave to Kenshin when he saved his cart from being robbed." She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so proud!" Kaoru moved away and went out the door.

"…Where are you going!?" He called to her.

"To back my bags, of course!" She giggled.

Yahiko whirled his body back to Kenshin and surprise. "WAIT, are you two going somewhere!?"

Kenshin sighed. "Apparently so, Yahiko." He looked back at where Kaoru had left. "Once women have their minds set onto something, it's hard to change them."

The boy gasped. "But…but I wanna come too!"

"Uh, I don't think…Kaoru would approve of that very much, Yahiko."

To make matters worse, Sano wandered in. "Kenshin, what's going on? All I heard was Kaoru run past saying 'I'm going on a vacation! I'm going on a vacation!' Are you two planning something?" He looked at the rurouni expectantly.

Kenshin stuttered quickly. "Er-er, well I don't…uh-"

"They're going on vacation, Sano!" He turned back to Kenshin. "We can come…right?"

Kaoru came into the room. "Certainly NOT, Yahiko."

The boy sighed, and then a light bulb appeared. "Aw, c'mon…I mean, if you leave just Sano and me to the dojo…by ourselves…we might have one too many parties!" He winked at Sano. "Right?"

He caught his meaning. "Oh—yeah! Lots of them!"

Kaoru shook her fist. "You BETTER not."

"Well we won't, if you take us along!"

She sighed. "…What do you say, Kenshin?"

He smiled sheepily. "Um…there's enough money for the two of them as well, hai? Maybe it won't be a bad idea, Kaoru."

"…Fine." Kaoru said finally. "Only if you two stay out of the way!"

They nodded eagerly.

~~~***~~~

The decided place would be in a quiet city in China. The journey was hard, especially on Yahiko, who had never ridden in a boat for so long. They had arranged for two separate hotel rooms in order for the couple to get some much-deserved privacy. The first day or two was spent together as a group. Kaoru happily went shopping and bought all sorts of different things.

"Ooo, look at that! Megumi will love to see it when we come back home, Kenshin!"

Kenshin made a muffled reply underneath all the packages he had been carrying while on her shopping spree.

"Wow!" She continued. "I wonder if this is made of real china—it sure looks like it."

Again, Kenshin made a reply, and again, she could not hear it.

"Ah! Here's a nice set of plates! We need some, don't we Kenshin?"

At this point, he gave up replying.

She looked at him. "…Kenshin, do you…need any help…?"

He shook his head. "No—oomph—I'm fine, Kaoru."

Kaoru nodded happily and continued on. Kenshin staggered along.

~~~***~~~

"Hey Sano, what's that?" The boy pointed to a dish on the menu.

"Hmm? Oh, that's a special kind of Chinese meal. It has some sort of fish inside it, I think. You want it?"

"Yeah, I guess I'm always ready to have fish."

"Great, well then I think that shrimp looks pretty good…guess I'll have that then."

The two gave their orders and sat waiting.

"Sano? Do you think Kaoru will become mad at us when she realizes we spent more of the money that she gave us than we should have?"

The older man chuckled. "Kid, Kaoru knows us well enough by now—any money given to me is gone sooner or later."

Yahiko laughed. "Yeah, guess you're right."

After awhile, a waiter brought them their food. "Oh boy! Yahiko cried. "That's looks delicious!" He took a bite into it. His face went pale.

Sano looked at him. "Are you, uh, alright there?"

Yahiko choked. "Water!" He gasped. Sano handed him his glass.

He laughed. "Oh, I forgot to mention it can be kind of spicy."

The boy glared at him and kicked his knee under the table.

~~~***~~~

Everyone met later on. Kaoru decided suddenly it would be nice if everyone could find some sort of outfit to wear when they would come back. "Go on! Try them!" She said happily.

The men looked at the material. "But…this is bright orange!" Yahiko protested. She gave him a look that could certainly kill and he quickly decided not to question or do anything.

"Try. Them. ON." She repeated in a suppressed tone.

Sano ended up with a greenish-blue cloth. Kenshin had a sort of reddish-brown. They looked at themselves in the mirror and decided not to ask WHY she would pick such awful looking clothes. The mind of a woman and fashion, they decided, was very different from theirs. The three tried to suppress all laughter as they saw each other.

"…Well?" She asked eagerly. "What do you three think?"

They tried to keep a straight face. "It's, um…" Yahiko began.

She turned to him. "It's…what?"

"It's really nice!" Kenshin said quickly. He elbowed the other men. "Right Sano and Yahiko?"

They nodded quickly. "How lovely!" She said happily. "I'm glad you like them! In that case, I'll just have to buy three more pairs…" She walked away.

Sano and Yahiko glared at Kenshin, who shrunk back into a corner.

~~~***~~~

After dinner they went dancing. Sano had since from their wedding practiced a little day by day. There was a serious problem though—he couldn't speak a lick of Chinese. He had walked up to many girls and signaled them to the dance floor to see if they'd understand, but they just looked at him funnily and gave him the cold shoulder. Yahiko wasn't having much luck either. When it came to girls he was pretty shy, so he just hid away in the corner. Eventually, Sano took him away, muttering, "Dancing is too girly anyways." Kenshin and Kaoru, on the other hand, were having a pleasant time indeed.

Kaoru looked around while dancing with him. "Kenshin, where did Yahiko and Sano go…?"

He chuckled a little. "I saw them leave. Didn't you see Sano try and ask girls to dance? I think he finally got fed up with it and left. Yahiko must've went with him, because they're both gone." He squeezed her hand that he was holding gently. Kaoru sighed.

"Well, fine. They can go!" She rested her head against his chest. He smiled at her lovingly and continued to hold Kaoru close.

~~~***~~~

Later everyone went back to their rooms. Sano and Yahiko slept soundly, which gave all the more advantage to the couple in the other room. They had selected the room with a rather large bathtub in the bathroom and a nice balcony with a beautiful view. They stood there quietly for a short time, with Kenshin's arm around Kaoru's shoulder and her head rested against his.

"Are you enjoying this vacation so far?" She whispered to him.

He nodded. "I think you really needed the break, Kaoru." He smiled.

"Yes, perhaps I did." She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Arigato, Kenshin."

He kissed her forehead. "Well we still have plenty to do, right?" He nodded towards the bathroom. She giggled.

"Fine, if that's how you want it!" She raced into the bathroom. He eagerly followed. Running water could soon be heard.

That's all for now!!! R&R!!! Arigato!! ^___^


	17. The Goodnight

Hi everyone! I'm back again, in time for another update! Some A/N before we get started though:

1) What a surprise, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin *long sigh*

2) Since I have finally finished this story, you guys can expect quicker updates…which uh, is a good thing, right? ^___^

…okay, not too much else to say. Enjoy!

~~~***~~~

Two months passed, the majority of it uneventful. For Kenshin and Kaoru, they lived each day to the fullest, and consequently were very happy. 

Sano and Yahiko came in to say goodbye. Technically, they didn't exactly live in the dojo anymore—just in a place off to the side right next to it. But they might as WELL have lived there, since Yahiko still continued to take lessons with Kaoru and Sano was still his lazy old self. Kaoru made it very clear that the place was THEIR home, meaning Kenshin and hers, not for the other two. This went to no avail however, and Yahiko and Sano passed by every single day. Deep down inside of her, Kaoru didn't really mind.

On that day, Yahiko, Sano, and Kenshin were all walking downtown. They needed to pick up some last minute supplies for Kenshin on his journey to the job. Earlier on Sano had a conversation similar to this:

"Well, today's Kenshin's last day here for awhile."

"Yeah, good thing he'll be coming back shortly afterwards though…otherwise…I might just have to actually TRY during a fight with him."

Yahiko laughed. "I don't know Sano, last time he beat you pretty good! And you were trying all right, remember?"

The older man darkened with red. "No…I…uh, don't remember that."

"Well I do-!"

"-Never mind about that, Yahiko. Today, we're going to meet Kenshin somewhere and keep him as happy as possible. Is that agreeable?"

"I don't see why not…"

"Great. Let's go to the dojo then and look for him."

And so, here they were, helping Kenshin pick out stuff at the market and making him smile. Soon, they passed the Akabeko.

Sano grinned. He elbowed Yahiko. "Ooo, look over there, Yahiko!"

He was puzzled. "What…?"

"It's the Akabeko, you baka."

He became even more confused. "And…?"

Sano chuckled. "And isn't there a certain _girl _in there you've been eyeing for months?"

The boy immediately blushed. "I…I have _NOT!_"

"Sure you have!" Sano began laughing even harder. He turned to Kenshin. "Tell Kenshin all about it Yahiko!"

The younger boy clenched his fists. "There's nothing to TELL! You believe me, right Kenshin?"

Kenshin wasn't about to take sides. "Well…er…I mean, I really couldn't…say…"

This, of course, translated to both men that Kenshin was siding with _them_.

"There!" Sano said proudly. "You see!?"

"I-I see nothing!" Yahiko shouted back. "You're an idiot if you believe that!"

The men continued to argue. "Now, now." Kenshin said slowly with a sweatdrop. "Oro…there's no need to get…angry…" He said as Yahiko began punching the other man in the stomach.

The two quickly got up and winked at each other. Their plan had worked.

~~~***~~~

When the three of them started walking home, they ran into Megumi with the doctor's grandchildren. "AH!" She cried triumphantly upon spotting them. Yahiko tried to make a run for it, but Sano held him firmly in his place. "Don't even think about it, kid." He whispered to him. Yahiko sighed in a defeated way.

"I have something for you." She said to Kenshin. "I'm glad I ran into you…" Megumi pulled out a bottle of ointment of some sort. "This will disinfect wounds and helps stop any bleeding. And here…" She rummaged around. "Ah!" Megumi handed him some bandages. "…Just in case, hai?"

Kenshin nodded. "Thank you for these, Megumi. I only hope they won't be needed."

She smiled. "I'm sure Kaoru would kill me if I had not given them to you, Kenshin, and you had instead walked away with nothing in terms of medical supplies for your journey to the government mansion."

Suzume tugged at his leg. Kenshin looked down affectionately. "Does something trouble you, Suzume?"

She nodded in a stubborn way. "Don't leave, Uncle Kenshin!"

He smiled and knelt down. "You don't need to worry Suzume, that you don't. I'll be back soon enough, you'll see."

But she wasn't convinced. "Are you…sure?"

He ruffled her hair. "Yes, I am. You all are my friends and there is someone especially close to me whom I would never leave. I'm here to stay." She smiled and nodded. Everyone walked back down the road together. Kenshin had said his goodbyes to everybody…except one.

~~~***~~~

Soon, the night of Kenshin's leave arrived…

Kaoru was preparing dinner like she normally did. To the side, Kenshin was obediently waiting for any help she might need, but Kaoru couldn't bear to look at him this moment, much less talk to him. Kenshin sensed her feelings, and promised himself he would treat her well until the moment he left the dojo. Both were happy the trip wouldn't be too long, and they would see each other again soon.

They sat down quietly like normal and Kaoru handed out the dishes. She still couldn't bring herself to look at him. Suddenly, they both felt her hand brush against his by accident when she was handing out a plate. Kaoru didn't draw it away—the two sat there, very still, without doing anything. It was if…all emotion had been temporarily drained. Then, some wind blew through the room from a nearby window. Kaoru's hair got caught in the gust slightly and a few strands made their way to Kenshin's face. He could smell her wonderful jasmine scent—the scent he would miss so much. Mechanically Kenshin overturned her hand with his and grasped it gently. She looked at him and sank with a heavy heart onto Kenshin from where he was sitting. The chopsticks Kenshin was holding fell into the bowl quickly and he held her. They said no words.

The meal was forgotten.

~~~***~~~

"I love you."

"…I know. I love you too."

"And, I will be back soon."

"Yes."

"This is not goodbye. This is…good night."

"…Very well. When I wake up, I expect you to be here!"

"Don't have any nightmares. Only dreams, right?"

"It'll be dream when I see you looking back at me once again."

"Then I will return all the more sooner."

Kenshin kissed her on the cheek gently and walked away.

She stood there for a few minutes, afraid to move. Finally, she reassured herself that her husband would be back in one month and a half. That was nothing, really. She waited longer in the past, she knew. Why, Kaoru waited years for him to propose, after all!

~~***~~~

When Kenshin got on the train, he took out something out and set it on his lap and looked at it. The object was the picture of Kaoru and Kenshin on their wedding day. That picture was the only one from it. It was the only one he HAD of her, period. He put it back, close to his heart. The train leapt forward, and his journey had begun.

When it stopped, Kenshin realized it was yet again time to get up and leave. The station was rather crowded with people. Thankfully his only luggage was the bag he had carried with him. Until he would leave the station, Kenshin decided, he would hold his sword under his arm so people wouldn't become frightened of him. Kenshin even whistled a little.

Suddenly, he heard a scream to the left. Someone had grabbed a woman's bag! The thief went into the crowd and disappeared from sight. Determined to help someone in need, Kenshin followed as swiftly as lightning. The man ran inside a nearby room after seeing the rurouni following him. He drew out a knife and laughed at Kenshin's fate with it, thinking he was perfectly unarmed. However, when the samurai charged in, he took out the weapon and jabbed hard with the blunt end of it. Happily, Kenshin strolled back to the woman and handed the bag to her. After many thanks, he sighed to himself and wondered how trouble always managed to find him, no matter where he was.

When he arrived at the mansion, Kenshin found several other men with various weapons that he could only presume to be other guards for the place. They came in all varieties—from ex-samurais like himself to ninjas to hired hands. Among them were some men in formal suits. He guessed they were the government officials he was supposed to be guarding. Kenshin strolled over to a line and waited there. When it was his turn, the man sitting there took his name down and explained what exactly he would be doing.

"Ah, you are the Battousai, the legendary manslayer, are you not?"

Kenshin could do nothing but nod. The men around him gave Kenshin some odd looks.

"Well, here's what's going on around here: This meeting is a complete secret except for the guards here and the representatives of the government. Lately each of them has been receiving notes from a group that opposes the government. The letters usually say something along the lines of how soon they'll die from the group's hand. This would be a perfect time for them to carry out their boastings, which is why we need so many top-notch guards here. These people are very important, so we must protect them at all costs." He looked at Kenshin quite seriously. "Do you understand…?"

The wanderer at this point wasn't paying much attention. He was thinking about…other things. Suddenly, Kenshin realized the man was looking at him as if expecting something, so he nodded quickly and walked to his assigned position for the night. He looked at his only photograph one more time, then sat down and prepared for anything to come.

Story: Sometimes I like to write my fanfic on paper, ne? Instead of the computer. Only this time, I was writing on the floor. Now, I happen to own a cat. She can guilt me into ANYTHING. Anyways, she walked over to me and laid down on my notebook like it was hers…grr…but I can't YELL at her or anything, because she's too cute! A big dilemma indeed…^__^ Well anyways, tell me what you think! R&R! Arigato! Ja ne!


	18. The Memories

Ahh…had a bit of trouble getting this new update in…I just HAD to finish a fanart I was working on. Heh. (E-mail me if you wanna see it). Anyways, here's a nice update for you all. A/N:

1) There's…um…a lot of fluff, lol. Lemon in next chappy.

2) Nope, don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

And now, it's time for the story:

~~~***~~~

The time passed slowly for Kaoru. To her, it felt that things were getting harder and harder to accomplish. Simple things. It was almost frightening, really—tasks like folding the laundry or cooking in the kitchen. It reminded her too much of…him. So she stopped doing those chores, and got (supportive?) help from Sano and Yahiko instead. She kept saying to herself that he would be back soon…he _would _be back soon. But it didn't really help. The pain couldn't be replaced. But there was something inside of Kaoru…something she couldn't understand. A new emotion she had not experienced before? Maybe, but then again maybe not. Whatever it was…it was new. She didn't like it very much, now at least.

Unfortunately, Sano and Yahiko saw it when they looked at her. Did they pity her? No—Kaoru, they knew, did NOT want pity, and she never had or will. Still though, they knew her situation and tried the best they could to make her smile. But Kaoru was not naïve. She saw their intentions, and smiled for the two men even though most days her didn't feel like it.

Every single night, she would walk towards the gate and wait for Kenshin. She knew the exact date when he was going to come back—but she didn't care, it comforted her to stand at the last place they were together. Kaoru sighed in the memories of the past…

~~~***~~~

_Kaoru thought back to the days before they were married, before they had any kind of relationship in 'that' way. She remember one particular day, when everyone else went to be, and they were all alone…_

_She had just finished putting away her training outfit and was about to head inside. Kaoru sighed unhappily. Today was a special day for her, yet no one seemed to notice or care. In the past, when her family was still alive, everyone would go out to eat on this day and hand her presents. Oh, how she loved that! Kaoru smiled for a brief moment._

_But…now, her family was all dead, and no one paid any attention to a young woman's birthday. Kaoru sighed heavily and walked inside. Of course, Sano went away with his gambling buddies and Yahiko was already asleep from the vigorous training from her he had just gone through. That left…Kenshin. He was sipping tea quietly for a moment, then put the cup down gently and looked at her._

_"Hello, Miss Kaoru."_

_"Hi Kenshin." She mumbled miserably._

_His expression turned puzzled. "Is something…the matter, Miss Kaoru?"_

_Even HE didn't know. She sighed in an exasperated manner. "No, it's nothing."_

_He continued to look at her quietly for a moment, and then said "Would you like some tea?"_

_Kaoru gave a half-smile. Kenshin DID make excellent teas…"Sure, why not?" This would be her birthday feast, then. Like when she was little._

_"Very well," he smiled, "sit down then, Miss Kaoru."_

_She obeyed, and he took out a cup and began to pour it. "Are you tired from your training? Is that why…you do not look yourself?"_

_Kaoru fumed a little. "I'm FINE, Kenshin." It annoyed her that no one around here knew what was REALLY the matter._

_"Gomen." He said softly. Kenshin handed her the cup. She drank it down slowly._

_To her surprise (sort of), Kenshin was persistent. "Miss Kaoru, are you SURE everything is fine?"_

_Nothing went past him, Kaoru decided. "Nobody around here understands." She said sadly._

_"Is it because…today is your birthday?"_

_Kaoru shot up from her seat and looked at him with wide eyes. How did…how did he…!? "But…but I never told you…! How?"_

_Kenshin smiled. "It says so on your calendar by your training area." He chuckled lightly. "Which reminds me…" He reached behind him and pulled out her present. "I was waiting for the most opportune moment, that I was." He blushed a little._

_Kaoru stared at it with a dazed look upon her face. "I can't believe it! Th-thank you, Kenshin." It was a brand new ribbon. The color was as red as his hair. It also had gold thread around it that made pretty patterns._

_"You're welcome, Miss Kaoru-" His sentence was cut short by a tight hug to his chest from Kaoru. He looked down at her with much surprise, but she had already straightened up._

_"I'll wear it tomorrow." She said happily. Kaoru strolled away to her room, not quite believing what she just did. But she couldn't help it! She was too happy with him. She was so SURE everyone had forgotten, but here he was. "How can I stay mad at everyone ELSE who didn't buy me anything when Kenshin's so sweet?" She blushed to herself and hurried on to her room._

_That was the beginning of their new relationship._

~~~***~~~

Kaoru's mind came back into the present as she heard her name. Yahiko came running up to her. "Sano and I were cooking, and well…we've discovered we're out of rice. Do you think you could get some at the market, Kaoru?" She smiled—she never told them that, although the two tried, their cooking just wasn't as good as Kenshin's. "Okay Yahiko, I can do that for you if you and Sano wish. Keep cutting and everything until I get back."

He nodded. "Are you sure you want to go by yourself…? It'd be no trouble if one of us were to come…"

"No, that's okay. I'll be…fine." Kaoru slightly resented the fact that they presumed her to be so weak now. She COULD do stuff on her own, just not…certain things. Memorable things. "I'll be back shortly." She said in a confident manner, and then began her journey into town.

~~~***~~~

Yahiko went back into the dojo and found Sano trying to figure out just exactly what the cooking directions meant for the meal they were attempting to make (for the first time). "Something's wrong with Kaoru." He said simply.

Sano looked up from the book. "You noticed it too, eh?"

"Yeah." He handed him a spoon for the mix.

"Well, can't say I'm surprised. After all, he DID leave pretty dramatically. Two months after they got married and all."

"Yeah." Yahiko said again.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it though." The older man continued. "She has a strong heart."

"I know, but, well…it bothers me. I've never quite seen her like this."

"Have faith in her, Yahiko. We all know Kenshin is doing this to help support her, right? It's purely selfless. If he could Kenshin would be here right now. But after all, they can't live very well as a family together with only the money Kaoru receives from training her students."

"Yeah, only…only, I don't think she'd mind too much."

"Maybe, but Kenshin wouldn't allow her to live like that if he could help it. That's why he's doing this, I suppose."

"I guess you're probably right." The boy replied. Kenshin and Kaoru had a stronger relationship than he originally thought.

"I COURSE I'm right." Sano said with piles of ego. "Now...help me figure out how to cook this, will you?"

He laughed a little. "We have to wait until Kaoru gets back with the rice, remember?"

His face fell. "…Oh. Hmm…well, in that case…I need to relax a bit." He grabbed a jug of sake and drank straight from it. Yahiko sighed.

~~~***~~~

Kaoru walked down the streets timidly. She somehow felt vulnerable, why? Kaoru shook these thoughts away and continued down the road. Oh, how she missed him. Everything turned to a haze suddenly. Kaoru stumbled to the man who always sold rice.

"Why, hello there, Miss." The man said brightly. He looked at her closer. "Are you…feeling okay?"

Kaoru felt her face. She was burning up. "I th-think I'm fine. Um…I'd like a bag of rice, please."

Reluctantly the man turned away to get what she requested. Kaoru thought to herself. What was going _on? _A hole in her heart seemed to grow larger suddenly. "Uh, on second thought, I think I need a doctor."

The rice seller turned back to her. "Did you say something?" He gasped as he saw her fall.

Kaoru's world blackened.

Kenshin…

~~~***~~~

Kenshin rose suddenly. He didn't know who. He didn't know where. He didn't know how or why, either. He only knew that…something had bothered him just now. What was it? A thought passed through him—what if things weren't all good and well back at the dojo? Kenshin wasn't there to protect it. Things could…go wrong. Kaoru needed someone to protect her, didn't she? Well, what was he doing HERE, then?

Without saying a word to anyone, Kenshin began to walk away from his post. He didn't care about the money at the moment—he only wanted to see her again, to make sure she was…okay. The men beside him stared.

"Hey! Aren't you one of the guards!? Get BACK here!!"

"Where's that guy going?"

"Doesn't he _know _tonight's the night those guys are supposed to attack around here?"

Kenshin ignored them. He continued on to the train station.

*sniffle* Poor Kenshin, he can't leave Kaoru for very long, can he? Yes yes, I know that was short, but I promise I'll update soon! ^__^ Well anyways, R&R! Arigato!


	19. The Reuniting

Ahh, hello hello once again! I'm getting to my final updates in this story! *sigh* it's been fun! For the disclaimer, nope don't own you-know-what, but I DO own this story! Hehe. Well, enjoy!:

~~~***~~~__

_Kaoru looked around. She was…where? Standing next to the gate, waiting. It was getting late, wasn't it? He should've been here by now…maybe the train had arrived later than planned at the station. Yes, that was it. Suddenly, her ears pricked up at the sound of footsteps._

_"A beautiful woman such as yourself should not be waiting out here in the dark with no one to protect her, hai?" She turned and saw her husband. Finally! He had come back. Kaoru ran to him and closed her arms around his neck. He smiled that sweet rurouni smile, and whispered into her ear, "I missed you very much. Why don't you…lay down in your futon now?"_

_She giggled. "Only if you come with me!"_

_He chuckled. "I will…if you wake up, Kaoru."_

_She looked at him with surprise. "Me? Why?"_

_Kenshin brushed her hair tenderly. "Isn't it obvious? I'm worried about you."_

_She smiled. "Oh, you don't need to worry about ME."_

_"I don't think so." He said softly._

_"Well it doesn't matter anyways, because I can't wake up…"_

_He inhaled her wonderful scent blissfully. "But I'm afraid you must, Kaoru."_

_She giggled. "Sorry! Can't."_

_He was getting impatient. "…And why is that?"_

_"…Well, I can't wake up without you here by me, now can I? You promised me you would!"_

_Kenshin bit his lip regrettably. "Yes, I suppose I did. Well then, I should hurry home, shouldn't I?"_

_She nodded. "And you better hurry, I don't like waiting very long!"_

_He nodded in an eager manner, and they parted._

~~~***~~~

"What's the next train?"

The ticket collector looked at him funnily. "Why, right now. In fact, it should be leaving in about…three minutes."

Kenshin sighed. "I'll take that ticket."

The man stared at him. "But sir, you'll never make it in time."

"Watch me." He replied in an impatient tone. The man decided he wasn't one to argue with easily, so he handed a ticket over. Kenshin slapped some money on the counter. "Keep the change!" He cried, already yards away. His god-like speed would certainly come in handy now. Kenshin ran and ran. He saw the train beginning to pull away, but that certainly didn't stop him. His sandals skidded to a halt and he moved in another direction, this time to the railing that was partially sticking out from the train. Kenshin leapt into the air and grasped it firmly. He had made it! Exhausted, Kenshin pulled himself up and sat at his designated seat. Some people around him stared, but chose not to question. Kenshin took the precious picture out next to his heart and examined it carefully, hoping it wasn't damaged from his sweat or something. Thankfully it wasn't, so he eased into his chair to relax. Soon Kenshin fell asleep.

Kaoru, I'm coming home…

~~~***~~~

Kenshin dreamt about some of his earlier days with Kaoru. It was a month after they were married. Since a one-month anniversary only came once, they decided to celebrate by taking a boat ride underneath the moon. At first, she was a little reluctant, especially because she wasn't all that crazy about boats. But, Kenshin insisted that everything would be fine, and plus they would be all by their selves if they rented one, so didn't it seem like a wonderful idea? He would hate himself if Kaoru had in any way a bad time. In the end, she agreed. They said their farewells to Yahiko and Sano, then left.

_Little did he know, Kaoru was in a playful mood that day. It would be a game of cat-and-mouse. This game would be different, though. It was not a physical game—rather, it was a mental ploy between them._

_Kenshin eagerly held her steady as they made their way on the boat. He never let go, either, because at first everything was a little wavy. Soon, though, after they went past the shores everything began to smooth out. Kaoru held onto him though, which of course he made no objection._

_"The moon is very big tonight." She remarked pleasantly. "And the wind…it's nice."_

_He nodded. "I like it too…this is indeed the perfect night. Well, almost perfect." He looked at her to see if she would take the slight hint he gave._

_She did, but Kaoru chose not to acknowledge it. Instead, she sat up. "I don't know, though…I think it may be just a little too hot." She loosened her kimono a little bi in the front. Kenshin tried not to stare. "Mmm. That's better!" She sat down again happily._

_"Kaoru…" He said slowly._

_She continued to ignore him. "Oh, never mind. Another gust of wind blew past, did you feel it? Hmm, I think it's a little cool out after all…" Kaoru tightened everything back up. Kenshin groaned inwardly as her exposed flesh became hidden once again. He wanted to see it! She purred, and Kenshin immediately saw what she was doing. Hmm, so THAT was the way she wanted to take things then? Hmph, he could play too, just as well in fact._

_"Kaoru, do you…think you could reach behind me and take out the band that holds up my hair? I wouldn't mind having the nice wind blow through it freely…"_

_"Hai." She said, with a slight tone of…something in her voice. Didn't he notice what she just did!? Was he not paying attention!?_

_Kenshin sighed at her touch. Her gentle fingers ran through his strands and tugged at it. Oh Kami, how he loved the gentleness of her fingers. Like an angel's. She slipped it off and his hair flew freely. Kaoru barely gasped. He smiled, knowing how much she enjoyed seeing him with his hair down. "Arigato." He said to her._

_She smiled. So he DID see what she wanted—in fact, he was playing along. Her fingers did not let go of him—instead, they tenderly caressed the small hairs leading to the back of his neck. Kenshin sighed happily, lost in her touch, when—too bad, she pulled away. He growled a little at the lost of feeling, but said nothing. His eyes flashed a hint of amber._

_Kaoru smiled, and suddenly something came over her and closed her smile to a kiss. It was dripping with passion, and it happened so fast that it was in the time of a blink. When she looked again there was nothing around her. Suspiciously, Kaoru looked at Kenshin, who was innocently lying down, humming a soft tune. 'I need to remember his speed.' She scolded herself. 'I won't let that happen again.'_

_He looked at her. No? Hmm. His eyes lit up slightly with amber. Kenshin faced away from her. He would just have to take things a little higher…his thoughts were silenced briefly when he felt something on his leg. It was Kaoru's hand, and…it was rubbing around the area slowly. She looked as though she was doing it unconsciously, but Kenshin knew better. He suppressed a groan as it moved up higher to his lower stomach._

_Kaoru turned to him and looked at his discomfort innocently. "Oh, did I bother you just now? I can stop if you want, Kenshin." She eagerly awaited his response._

_He growled, but to no costs would he give in. "I…didn't even notice it." He stood up and walked away. Kaoru put on her pouting face, but he didn't look back. She was just getting to the fun! They couldn't stop now. She stood up timidly and looked for him around the sail. He inhaled her jasmine scent yet again and quickly scooped Kaoru up in his arms. She was about to protest, but then she saw his eyes._

_Amber._

_"Derumo." He said roughly before pulling her closer. Her heart leapt. The night just became a bit hotter._

~~~***~~~

He rushed off the train and away from the station. The brief thought came to him that maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. Everything was fine back at the dojo! He had no reason to worry! Kenshin was…overreacting to some stupid thought.

Then why did his pace increase just now? His body did not agree with his mind! He cursed at himself, and imagined Kaoru running out of the dojo to greet him, glad that he came back earlier than planned but still wondering why he had returned. And why had he returned anyways? Everything was probably fine! An entire trip wasted! Kenshin shook these conflicting thoughts from his mind and decided, in the end, he just shouldn't think at all.

He reached the dojo. Yahiko spotted him from afar and ran up to him with surprise. "Kenshin! What are you-?"

"I have come back earlier than planned. Where is Kaoru, Yahiko?" He pressed the question to the boy urgently.

Automatically Yahiko turned his head to the inside of the dojo. "Well…"

Kenshin didn't wait for the answer. He ran inside to her room.

There was Kaoru, lying on her futon. Genzai was to her side. "Kenshin! Why have you returned?" He exclaimed.

"…I don't know myself. Or at least, I didn't before. But what's wrong with Kaoru? How is she!?" Kenshin looked at her on the futon. She appeared to be unconscious.

"Well, I have finished evaluating her condition, and…" The doctor paused. "I'm afraid someone must fetch Megumi immediately. She'd be better at this type of thing than I am."

Now Kenshin was _really _worried. Wasn't Megumi an expert in poisons!?

Yahiko was listening from behind. "Sano has already gone to find her, Genzai-sensei. He should be here shortly…"

Kenshin blocked all words out from his ears. Perhaps Genzai was explaining what was wrong with her—who knew? He didn't care, he just wanted it to go away, whatever it was. His wife was laying on the futon…oh Kami. He couldn't bear the sight, so he turned away and shed a tear to the window.

~~~***~~~

Megumi entered the room. "Thanks for bringing me here. Let's take a look." She turned to Yahiko, Sano, and Kenshin. "Please…I think it would be best if you waited outside, hai?"

Sano and Yahiko looked at Kenshin. "Oh! Er—right. Let's go wait outside." They helped him up and placed him on a chair on the porch.

They waited.

And waited.

And…waited.

Finally, Yahiko spoke. "Kenshin, didn't you hear what the doctor said just now? What do you think about it?"

Kenshin looked up. "…Huh?"

Sano shook his head. "Kenshin, you baka. Weren't you even listening?"

He turned to the older man. "Why? What's wrong?"

Sano gave a half-smile. "You're going to be a father, Kenshin!"

He stared at him. "I…am?"

Yahiko nodded. "Yeah! Soon we'll have little Kaoru's and Kenshin running around, remember?" He smiled despite the situation.

Kenshin looked back at the dojo door. "But then…why is she…like that?"

Sano shrugged. "Her body's not accepting it, maybe? It'll probably just take some time."

Yahiko rolled his eyes. "You're not an expert on this stuff, Sano!"

And with that, the two began to bicker as usual. Kenshin stopped paying attention. _He _knew the real reason Kaoru was so sick—it was because he wasn't there to protect her like always. Kaoru needed to pull through and wake up; otherwise he would never forgive himself.

…Bah! Some of you knew what was happening with her…oh well, I've never been the subtle type. ;) After this one is the last chappy! Then finally I'll be done with this…unless of course I have enough reviews for an epilogue, which is unlikely. *shrug* Oh well, anyways, R&R!


	20. The Dream To End All Nightmares

…The last chappy…*sniffle* well, it's been fun. For one last time, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Look for more A/Ns at the end. And now, the last update…

~~~***~~~

They were all alone. Kenshin insisted that Kaoru and he would have a moment to themselves, so the doctors agreed, although a bit reluctant at first. "Being with Kenshin is what she needs the most right now." Sano said to them as they stood outside. The doctors comprehended.

He looked at her for several moments without saying anything. She was so…beautiful. And he was the one who was responsible for this! Kaoru was unconscious because of him, in a twisted way. His love had suppressed her life. He reached out and touched her cheek. It was white, but warm. His guilt instantly became tremendous. Oh, how he longed to see her beautiful eyes again, full with life!

"Kaoru." He whispered to her. "I'm here now. You can wake up now, hai? We made a promise, remember? You could see me again if you would only wake up. I am by your side—you'll probably think I'm a real baka for not finishing the job I went to go do in the first place. But I couldn't care less about that right now. I only care about you…so…" Kenshin rested his head against her stomach and in his grief lost a few tears. It rose and fell peacefully. And, somewhere, his child was in there, too. This woman was too precious for him to lose. He remembered all the events that it took to win her…

~~~***~~~

"Kenshin, I want to stay out here just a little longer. Would you mind watching the path behind us?"

He looked at her. "Oro? Why?"

"Because…" she loosened her kimono a little. "I think I want to swim in the spring for a little bit before we go back. It looks so nice."

"I had a wonderful dream last night, Miss Kaoru…you were in it."

"You were in mine, too. The moon…was full…I remember well…what a lovely dream it was…"

"Who the hell are YOU!?" The men felt for their weapons.

"You are holding this woman captive. I insist you release her. NOW." He stared at the rope binding her, angry.

"Insolent fool!"

"But a _brave, _insolent fool…"

"Who cares what he is! He's dead!"

"Enough talk! Let's get him!"

"Kaoru! Where are you!?" Kenshin sat up in the futon.

A hand laid on his chest and gently pushed him back down. "I'm right here. Please, save your strength."

Kenshin walked up behind her and put his arms around her body. His hands gently moved over to hers and sat where she held the weapon. "Hold it like this." His breath was so close that it fell upon her neck. She shivered slightly. Kenshin smiled innocently.

"A nice cover."

"I had no other alternative."

"You brought this on yourself."

"_No one _deserves the torture you're putting me through." His eyes flickered heavily.

"Kenshin…?"

He stopped and looked at her with loving eyes. "Oh Kaoru…" He said softly, "I…well, um…"

"…Is something…wrong?"

He gulped nervously. "No, no, not at all…it's just that…I-I love you, and have always loved you, and, well…" He got down on one knee and pulled out a sparkling diamond ring. Trembling, he held it out to her. "Although I am not worthy of your love, I am selfish. Will you marry me?"

~~~***~~~

A hand laid on his chest. "You kept your promise, and so shall I. Arigato." She looked down at him lying there. "I just hope I'm not dreaming…?"

He shook his head. "Your nightmares have ended, Kaoru. From now on, only dreams. I'm here now."

They laid like that for a few minutes. Finally, Kaoru said, "Why did you come back so suddenly?"

He smiled. "I decided that career path had no motivation, so here I am."

She tussled his hair a little. "…Baka." Kaoru looked around. "Was Genzai-sensei here? And Megumi? Do they know why…?" She looked down. "Kenshin?"

He looked into her eyes. "Our baby is inside of you, Kaoru. Soon you'll be a mother."

Her smile widened. "Oh Kenshin!…That's wonderful!"

Kenshin reached around her body and gave her a delicate hug. "I know, I can't wait."

"Well then, what should the name be?"

He thought for a minute. "Hmm, let's wait until it's born before deciding. That way, we'll know if it'll be a girl or a boy."

"Ah." She nodded. "That's a good idea."

He looked at her. "Are you able to get up?"

She tried lifting her head, but it collapsed back on the pillow. "Nope, guess not."

He sighed. "Then you're not going anywhere. Rest now, Kaoru." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

~~~***~~~

The months passed little by little. Kaoru had gradually recovered and was at last able to move around. Kenshin insisted, however, that she did not go outside the dojo. She didn't want to worry him more than she already had, so she agreed. And then, one day…

Kenshin was outside folding some laundry. Kaoru crept up to him quietly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hello, Kenshin." She whispered into his ear.

He looked at her. "Kaoru? What are you doing out here? You should be back in the dojo resting, that you should…"

She pouted. "I've been resting long enough!"

He smiled. "Kaoru, you may feel fine now, but the journey has not ended. The biggest part of it all still has yet to come."

She had no mother to teach her these things, but Kaoru knew what she meant. "And it'll…hurt?"

Kenshin shrugged. "I have never witnessed the birth of a child, but I would imagine…yes."

Suddenly her eyes widened and she lost her balance. Kenshin caught her in surprise. "Do you think it hurts…like this?" She whispered. He stared at her in disbelief. "Kenshin, it's time." She told him mildly.

"O…Oro?"

"It's time." She repeated.

Slowly but surely comprehension dawned onto him. "Oh…oh! Ahh, then what are we standing here for!? Get inside, get inside, quickly!" He carried her back into the dojo. "Call for the doctors!" He said to Yahiko and Sano as he rushed past. "I'm going to be a father soon! I'm going to be a father soon!" Kenshin cried happily.

Kaoru clutched tighter to his chest. "…Glad to see YOU'RE happy right now, because I couldn't be in any greater pain."

Kenshin apologized profusely and rested his wife gently on the futon. He looked at her with concern. "Do you need anything?"

She giggled deliriously. "I couldn't tell you, I've never done this before!"

He waved his arms around frantically. "Well…what should I do!?"

"…I don't know! I can't exactly think right now. Ohhhh…" She groaned at another contraction. "The pain of this…it's incredible…"

He decided in his mind to hurry and go get some cold water and a cloth.

~~~***~~~

Thankfully, the doctors quickly arrived and took charge over the clueless Kenshin. He resorted in the end to pace frantically outside on the porch, where he wouldn't be in the way. Besides, if he WERE to watch, he'd probably faint. Kenshin laughed at the thought that he, a legendary swordsman, would faint at the sight of his wife giving birth. Occasionally Sano, Yahiko, and Kenshin could hear Kaoru's painful groans from inside. These certainly didn't help ease his worries, and so he continued to pace.

This went on for about three hours. Kenshin was getting restless, but he didn't want to go back inside, either, so he just kept on pacing. Finally, everyone heard one large groan from her, and they knew the worst was over. Megumi came out slowly and motioned them inside. They walked in and saw the exhausted Kaoru holding her baby. "It's a boy." She whispered happily.

Kenshin automatically moved over and touched the baby's hand gently. "Oro, it's so tiny!" he gasped. Everyone chuckled.

"Look—see, he has you nose, Kenshin." Kaoru exclaimed happily. She caressed the baby's small forehead gently. He was now asleep.

For a few moments, nobody said anything. Finally, Yahiko blurted out "So? What's his name already!?"

The couple looked at each other. "It's up to you, Kaoru." Kenshin said softly.

She nodded. "Well then, I think Kenji sounds like a good name for a boy."

He smiled in consent. "Very well." He looked at his child. "From this day on, your name can be Kenji!"

The baby opened his eyes a little and gurgled, then closed then again.

Yahiko stared. "…Does that mean he likes it?" Everyone shrugged.

Kaoru looked at her husband. "Here Kenshin—hold him for a minute!"

Before he could say anything the child was placed into his arms. Kenshin looked at him like he was now holding some sort of expensive glassware. If he moved him around in any way, the baby would shatter into a million pieces.

"I wanna hold!" Yahiko shouted happily.

Kaoru gave him a look that could kill, which easily silenced him to his place.

~~~***~~~

Two weeks later, there was a big feast at the Himura Dojo. Baby Kenji was the star attraction. Everyone kept asking questions, like how much did he weigh and the exact time he was born. Kaoru left Kenji to Megumi and Sano for a few minutes, and was pulled away by Kenshin. There was a glint of amber in his eyes, and she smiled. Everything was back to normal. Her life now…it was what she had always dreamed of. All nightmares in their lives were now at an end.

…And that's all. ^___^ Aww, there's the title finally! Lol. Thank you SO much everyone1 I had _such _a wonderful time writing this fic, really! I laughed with you, I cried with you, etc etc. I'm so happy to have such wonderful readers and reviewers (and e-mailers!). Anyways, I suppose that's all. No epilogue until there are 200 reviews! Lol, which is extremely unlikely.

Future works: For now, I'm working on my Inuyasha story. With 5 chappys it already has half the reviews as this story! Oro! Very successful, please read if you think you would enjoy it (lemons in later chappies too). Ah, but as far as Rurouni Kenshin goes, I'm not done with this Anime either. My next story will be a pairing of Megumi and Sano. Now I know most of you are thinking, 'why would I want to read about _them!? _I only care about Kaoru and Kenshin!' Well it's true that K/B&K utterly pwnz, BUT! Take my word for the truth when I say you will enjoy my S&M fic. It's romantic, but mainly focuses on humor. Lol. ^_____^

Again, thank you SO much!! Hope to see ya soon!!! Arigato, ja ne!!!!


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